Matej Pospiech

Microscopic determination of bamboo fiber in meat products

Fiber, a suitable additive to meat products with water-holding capacity, reduces curing losses and maintains juiciness of the meat. The risk is the use of excessive amounts of flour or other ingredients of vegetable origin, in which the fiber is contained. In some cases, sensory characteristics of products can be affected. Detection of fiber may be prevention of adulteration in some meat products. It is therefore very important to regularly detect the amount of fiber in meat products and check its contents. Fiber in meat products can be detected by various methods, applied are for example gravimetric, spectroscopic, histochemical, and microscopic methods. For this reason, a model meat product (Vysocina salami) was prepared in our experiment with the addition of bamboo fiber of selected concentrations of 0%, 2%, and 3%. Subsequently, a series of microscopic sections was made on different days of curing (day no. 7, 14 of the drying phase and 28, 42 of storage). Individual sections were examined and captured using a polarization microscope, the amounts of fiber in individual sections were analyzed by means of image analysis software and the values obtained were compared with each other. Also the influence of drying on the measured area of fiber in sections was monitored. The results indicate a noticeable reduction in the area of fiber until the seventh day of ripening, which is caused by the rapid loss of water in the product. In contrast, sections of products from the following days of drying contained mildly increased concentrations of fiber, which was caused by gradual drying of the products, while the area of fiber refrained form becoming smaller. Between the individual days of drying, a difference that was statistically significant was demonstrated from the 14th day of (storage or drying). Correlation was observed between the date of (storage or drying) and amount of added fiber. Among the tested mean values for the sample with the addition of fiber concentration of 2 % an insignificant difference was found. The difference between test values (day/fiber) in the sample with addition of 3% fiber was, however, statistically significant.

Immunofluorescent determination of wheat protein in meat products

In food industry nowadays, there are various plant-origin protein additives which are meant for production of meat products. Among the most frequent additives of this type there are different kinds of flour, starch, fiber, and plant-origin proteins. Their usage at present is limited by the existing legislation not to prevent consumer deception but also for reasons of possible influence on consumer health. Therefore, this problem is paid a lot of attention not only in the Czech Republic but also all over the world. The main risk is seen in the impossibility to choose a suitable foodstuff for an individual prone to allergic reactions. Potential allergens are also often plant-origin raw materials which are added into foodstuffs for their technological qualities and low price. Wheat is widely cultivated cereal as well as an important source of proteins. After ingestion or inhalation, wheat proteins may cause adverse reactions. These adverse effects include a wide range of disorders which are dependent on the method of contact with wheat protein. These adverse effects can then take the form of various clinical manifestations, such as celiac disease, T-cell mediated inflammatory bowel disease, dermatitis, skin rash, breathing difficulties, allergy to pollen or to wheat flour or food allergy to foodstuffs containing gluten. The only possible protection against adverse immune reactions for those with food allergies is strictly excluding the allergen from their diet. Although the number of studies dealing with the reduction or loss of allergenicity is increasing, yet these practices are not common. Most of the population suffering from food allergies is thus still dependent on strict exclusion of foodstuffs causing adverse allergic reactions from their diet. In order to avoid misleading consumers and also to protect allergic consumers, analytical methods applicable to all types of foodstuffs have been developed. Unfortunately, detection of allergens in foodstuffs is relatively difficult because of the fact that they occur in trace amounts and are often masked by various parts of the product. This paper deals with detection of wheat protein in meat products bought in the retail network of the Czech Republic. Ten cooked meat products, especially types of sausages and soft salami which stated wheat protein in their composition, were examined. The samples were processed using the method of immunofluorescence and stained with Texas Red fluorochrome. The presence of wheat protein was demonstrated in all the examined meat products. From the results it follows that the method of immunofluorescence is suitable for detection of wheat protein in meat products. Normal 0 21 false false false CS JA X-NONE

Pork protein addition effect on structural and qualitative parameters of frankfurter-type sausage: Pork protein effect on frankfurter-type sausage

BACKGROUND Several raw materials and additives are used in meat production. In terms of origin, proteins which are the closest related to meat are derived from slaughtered carcasses. The aim of the work was to assess the effect of their addition on the microstructure, texture and colour of frankfurter-type meat products. RESULTS Calleja staining, instrumental textural analysis and colour analysis were applied. The microscopic results were evaluated qualitatively. Canonical component and Tukeys HSD were used for textural and RGB evaluation. Microscopically, protein matrix formation in products containing pork haemoglobin (155_16) and pork plasma P (158_16) was found to be different from that in other samples. Texture analysis revealed differences (P < 0.05) in shear force between pork haemoglobin 155_16 and all tested samples, in the hardness between the control (154_16) and pork collagen protein (157_16) and between 157_16 and 160_16. Chewiness showed differences between control 154_16 and collagen proteins 157_16. Colour analysis showed a difference between pork haemoglobin (155_16) and other products (P < 0.05) by component analysis. CONCLUSION All tested additives were incorporated into the protein matrix. Therefore, they may be used as additives even for unrecommended meat products. Addition of pork haemoglobin has a significant impact on the colour of the final product.

Substitution of sodium chloride by salt microspheres in dough: Effect on dough rheological properties

This research aimed to evaluate the impact of different salts on dough rheology parameters and gas cell development during dough preparation. Three types of salts in four concentrations each were used in dough preparation and following analyses were conducted: sodium content, salt structure analysis, dough hardness, dough stickiness and dough image analysis. The research showed how significantly (p < .05) the measured properties of dough can be influenced by the used type of salt, salt concentrations and fermentation time. The emphasis is put on salt substitutes of hollow microsphere salt (Hs) substitutes due to its special physical characteristics. The uniqueness of Hs physical characteristics was confirmed by electron microscope photomicrographs. The gained results are indicating that even low changes in salt concentration (0.40; 0.30; 0.25; and 0.15) make noticeable changes in dough characteristics. The usage of salt substitutes in food industry has been constantly growing and it makes the research a valuable source of information for further application of this salts. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The different salt types (table-Ts, sea-Ss and hollow microsphere-Hs) which were studied in our work differ just slightly. However, an important issue in choosing salt should also be the nutritive perspective, in particular low sodium content as a preventive measure against cardio-vascular diseases. Hs and Ss are therefore suitable alternatives to typical Ts.

The Effect of PSE and Non-PSE Adductor and Semimembranosus Pig Muscles on the Occurrence of Destructured Zones in Cooked Hams

The aim of this study was to analyse pig muscles used in the production of cooked hams with a view to the occurrence of PSE-type defects and their potential effect on the frequency of destructured zones in finished products. One hundred and six samples of m. adductor (AD) and m. semimembranosus (SM) pig muscles were studied. The two kinds of muscle differed from each other in terms of their pH values and colour ( : lightness, : redness, and : yellowness); these differences between the two categories were statistically significant ( ). The AD muscles were divided into meat with PSE (pale, soft, and exudative) defects and non-PSE meat by sensory examination. A total of 44.3% of AD muscles showed PSE defects. Lightness fell within a range of 50.68–55.23 in non-PSE meat (AD) and was statistically significantly lower ( ) than in PSE meat (56.25–58.78). Drip loss (AD) was higher ( ) in PSE meat (4.83–6.27%) than in non-PSE meat (3.53–5.0%). Cooked hams prepared from pig muscles showed evident destructured zones when sliced, the number and overall area of which were not affected by the occurrence of PSE defects in the raw meat used.

Comparison of immunofluorescence method with histochemical and ELISA methods focusing on wheat protein detection in meat products

ABSTRACT Gliadin is a major allergen causing allergies occurring also in meat products. Since wheat protein is used as a meat substitute to reduce cost of meat products. Sensitive consumers of these products are really threatened by food allergies in different allergic reaction. The objective of the study was to compare the histochemical, immunochemical (ALERT gliadin screening test) and immunofluorescence methods for the detection of wheat protein in model meat samples and meat products. The limit of detection for the ALERT gliadin screening test was 10 × 104 mg kg−1 of addition, while the histochemical method demonstrated concentration of wheat protein already from 10 × 103 mg kg−1, and the immunofluorescence method from the concentration of 20 mg kg−1. Comparison of the methods using McNemar’s test shows a statistically highly significant difference (p = .01) between the immunofluorescence method and ELISA and a statistically highly significant difference (p = .01) between the immunofluorescence and histochemical methods.

Stereological analysis of pea protein in model samples

With the growing popularity of various plant proteins used as raw materials for meat production, interest of manufacturers to extend the range of such raw materials is increasing as well. Manufacturers are trying to minimize the cost of manufacturing their products with simultaneous preserving the nutritional value of their products to the maximum extent possible. Such cheaper raw materials, which are also nutritionally rich, include pea protein. Another advantage for manufacturers is the fact that legislation does not order them to indicate pea protein presence in case of its addition, as it does for other allergenic ingredients, although this legume contains storage proteins which can cause a variety of allergic reactions, just like other legumes. Currently no method used for its qualitative determination has been described in literature, let alone its quantitative determination. Our work describes a possible method that can be applied for its quantification. It is a stereological method applied to microscopic sections stained by immunohistochemical staining based on the avidin-biotin complex using monoclonal legumin (1H9) as the primary antibody. The stereological method is based on geometry, it applies knowledge of geometry to analyze a sample of diverse origin, size and internal structure. Despite potential shortcomings in staining microscopic preparations, stereology allows us to perform quantification based on knowledge of morphology of the observed structures. This work describes a procedure of a known pea protein addition quantification in model meat products by means of Ellipse software. Pea protein quantification was performed in two ways. In the first case ten microimages of all sections prepared were examined, while in the second case one scan of the entire section was analyzed. Based on the results, Spearmans correlation coefficient was calculated, which confirmed our assumption of correlation between the protein added into the product and the measured area in microimages. In both ways Spearmans correlation coefficient was rSp = 1000. We obtained regression equations in MS Excel, which can be used for calculation of pea protein addition based on measured area of this protein in microscopic section.

Possibilities of microscopic detection of isolated porcine proteins in model meat products

In recent years, various protein additives intended for manufacture of meat products have increasing importance in the food industry. These ingredients include both, plant-origin as well as animal-origin proteins. Among animal proteins, blood plasma, milk protein or collagen are used most commonly. Collagen is obtained from pork, beef, and poultry or fish skin. Collagen does not contain all the essential amino acids, thus it is not a full protein in terms of essential amino acids supply for ones organism. However, it is rather rich in amino acids of glycine, hydroxyproline and proline which are almost absent in other proteins and their synthesis is very energy intensive. Collagen, which is added to the soft and small meat products in the form of isolated porcine protein, significantly affects the organoleptic properties of these products. This work focused on detection of isolated porcine protein in model meat products where detection of isolated porcine protein was verified by histological staining and light microscopy. Seven model meat products from poultry meat and 7 model meat products from beef and pork in the ratio of 1:1, which contained 2.5% concentration of various commercially produced isolated porcine proteins, were examined. These model meat products were histologically processed by means of cryosections and stained with hematoxylin-eosin staining, toluidine blue staining and Calleja. For the validation phase, Calleja was utilized. To determine the sensitivity and specificity, five model meat products containing the addition of isolated porcine protein and five model meat products free of it were used. The sensitivity was determined for isolated porcine protein at 1.00 and specificity was determined at 1.00. The detection limit of the method was at the level of 0.001% addition. Repeatability of the method was carried out using products with addition as well as without addition of isolated porcine protein and detection was repeated 10 times. Repeatability in both, positive and negative samples, for isolated porcine protein was determined at 100%. The results show that the histological processing of cryosections stained using Calleja is suitable for detecting isolated porcine protein in meat products.

Evaluation of fat grains in gothaj sausage using image analysis

Fat is an irreplacable ingredient in the production of sausages and it determines the appearance of the resulting cut to a significant extent. When shopping, consumers choose a traditional product mostly according to its appearance, based onwhat they are used to. Chemical analysis is capable to determine the total fat content in the product, but it cannot accurately describe the shape and size of fat grains which the consumer observes when looking at the product. The size of fat grains considered acceptable by consumers can be determined using sensory analysis or image analysis. In recent years, image analysis has become widely used when examining meat and meat products. Compared to the human eye, image analysis using a computer system is highly effective, since a correctly adjusted computer program is able to evaluate results with lower error rate. The most commonly monitored parameter in meat products is the aforementioned fat. The fat is located in the cut surface of the product in the form of dispersed particles which can be fairly reliably identified based on color differences in the individual parts of the product matrix. The size of the fat grains depends on the input raw material used as well as on the production technology. The present article describes the application of image analysis when evaluating fat grains in the appearance of cut of the Gothaj sausage whose sensory requirements are set by Czech legislation, namely by Decree No. 326/2001 Coll., as amended. The paper evaluates the size of fat mosaic grains in Gothaj sausages from different manufacturers. Fat grains were divided into ten size classes according to various size limits; specifically, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 5.0, 8.0 and over 8 mm. The upper limit of up to 8 mm in diameter was chosen based on the limit for the size of individual fat grains set by the legislation. This upper limit was not exceeded by any of the products. On the other side the mosaic had the hightest representation of 0.25 mm fat grains.

Immunofluorescence detection of pea protein in meat products

ABSTRACT In this study we developed an immunofluorescence method to detect pea protein in meat products. Pea protein has a high nutritional value but in sensitive individuals it may be responsible for causing allergic reactions. We produced model meat products with various additions of pea protein and flour; the detection limit (LOD) of the method for pea flour was 0.5% addition, and for pea protein it was 0.001% addition. The repeatabilities and reproducibilities for samples both positive and negative for pea protein were all 100%. In a blind test with model products and commercial samples, there was no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) between the declared concentrations of pea protein and flour and the immunofluorescence method results. Sensitivity was 1.06 and specificity was 1.00. These results show that the immunofluorescence method is suitable for the detection of pea protein in meat products.