1,721,305 research outputs found
Frontiers in Physiology
No full textFrontiers in Physiology is a leading journal in its field, publishing rigorously peer-reviewed research on the physiology of living systems, from the subcellular and molecular domains to the intact organism, and its interaction with the environment. This multidisciplinary open-access journal is at the forefront of disseminating and communicating scientific knowledge and impactful discoveries to researchers, academics, clinicians and the public worldwide. Under the umbrella of Frontiers in Physiology, there is a speciality section Avian Physiology
Current meat quality challenges for the poultry industry – a review
Full text linkPoultry meat consumption has increased substantially over the last decades and the lifestyle changes have also dramatically modified the way, in which poultry meat is marketed and consumed. Therefore food technologies have become part of the poultry industry and today much of the production is marketed in the form of cut-up and processed products. The global success of chicken meat is made possible by its affordability, nutritional and sensory properties, ease of preparation as well as the
absence of religious restraints. Poultry meat consumption is expected to further increase in the near future. However, in addition to well-known issues such as microbiological hazards associated with poultry meat consumption, welfare problems as indirect effects of artificial selection for high growth-rate, negative consumer attitudes towards intensive production systems, also increased
consumers’ perception of undifferentiated products and progressive loss of nutritional biodiversity of the meat should be not overlooked
Meat and Muscle Biology
No full textMeat and Muscle Biology is the premier, international, fully open access journal that is a publication home for a broad scope of high quality, peer-reviewed manuscripts on all aspects of meat science (including meat derived from domestic mammals, avian species, aquaculture species, amphibians, wild capture mammals, synthetic meat analogs and cell culture) applied muscle biology and related topics.
Meat and Muscle Biology is published by the Iowa State University Digital Press for the American Meat Science Association
Rabbit meat processing and traceability
No full textRabbit meat is a highly digestible, tasty, low-calorie food, often recommended by nutritionists over other meats, yet it is still considered a niche product, especially because of its time consuming preparation which requires culinary skills and because of cultural differences among European consumers. For this reason, the processing industry in Europe is gradually improving the availability of rabbit meat in a large variety of processed ready-meals which make it easier to prepare thus meeting the demands of modern consumers. This shift towards further processed products in Europe will soon underscore the necessity for higher standards in rabbit meat in order to improve sensory characteristics and functional properties. Rabbit production and processing involve a series of interrelated steps and the quality of rabbit muscle as food depends upon chemical, physical, and structural changes that occur in the conversion of muscle to meat. During the production and management of rabbits, (preslaughter) factors not only exert important effects on muscle growth, composition, and development, but also determine the state of the animal at slaughter. Moreover, large rabbit industry integration is becoming more important and the development of rabbit meat production is forcing processing plants to improve slaughter capacities by using high-speed and more automated slaughter lines. From the point of view of food safety, these changes can lead to higher microbial risks due to the possible cross-contamination during preslaughter (crating, transportation, and holding conditions) and processing (skinning and evisceration) operations. Furthermore, European rabbit production has been influenced by the introduction of more restrictive regulations and higher consumer attention to food safety aspects. All this has come about as a consequence of the many meat safety crises of previous years which have convinced the European Union to enact several regulations aimed at guaranteeing meat safety and systems to prevent or at least manage similar future crises. From January 1st 2005 (Regulation 178/2002/EC), it will be compulsory for all feed and food operators to adopt a traceability system. The major objective is to enforce the provision of clear and reliable information to consumers at sales points, based on a system of being able to track meat back to the source animal, the slaughterhouse and the cutting unit of origin.
This paper is divided in two sections, the first provides an overview of the steps of rabbit processing and its influence on product quality, while the second focuses on the application of traceability to rabbit production
Poultry Quality Evaluation
Full text linkPoultry Quality Evaluation: Quality Attributes and Consumer Values provides a new reference source that covers these aspects with the same scientific authority as texts on traditional poultry meat quality values. The book's first section explores new developments in our understanding of how muscle structure affects the eating qualities of cooked meat. The second section highlights new techniques for measuring, predicting, and producing poultry meat quality and how these new techniques help us minimize variability in eating quality and/or maximize value. The final section identifies the current qualities of consumer and public perceptions, including what is sustainable, ethical, desirable, and healthy in poultry production and consumption
Rabbit meat: valuable nutrition or too-cute-to-eat?
No full textRabbit meat is a component of traditional diets, often incorporated into iconic dishes of regional cuisine. Its consumption can be traced back to the ancient civilisations of the Mediterranean and beyond, well into the Palaeolithic era. Even though it has been representing considerable nutritional and cultural value for millennia, a decline in consumption is now noticeable. Specific categorial dynamics are at play, related to the various superimposed roles of rabbits as livestock, game, pests, laboratory animals and pets. Their perceived cuteness in particular can lead to emotional responses that are hard to reconcile with the sensitivities of the post-domestic paradigm. Such effects compromise the acceptability of rabbit meat in contemporary Western societies that are typified by problematic human-animal interactions and a disconnect from the food chain. Young and urban populations in particular now seem to have difficulties facing the notion that food production requires the killing of animals. As a result, a traditional food source risks becoming irrelevant despite its high nutritional value and potential for sustainable meat production, due to reasons that are emotive rather than rational
Spotlight on avian pathology: current growth-related breast meat abnormalities in broilers
No full textSelection for fast-growing and high-breast-yield hybrids has enormously increased the pressure on muscle development rate and mass, indirectly promoting the development of muscular abnormalities affecting the pectoral muscles such as White Striping, Wooden Breast and Spaghetti Meat. Macroscopically, the muscles affected by these defects exhibit distinctive traits, whereas the microscopic examinations evidenced similar histological alterations. Therefore, a common causative mechanism (involving genes related to several metabolic pathways and functional categories) underpinning the occurrence of these abnormalities may be hypothesized and directly associated with muscle hypertrophy induced by selection. Within this context, as the occurrence of growth-related abnormalities may negatively affect consumer attitude and certainly leads to considerable economic losses, resulting from meat downgrading, it clearly emphasizes the need to consider those issues related to muscle growth and meat quality when selecting meat-type genotypes
Novel DNPH-based method for determination of protein carbonylation in muscle and meat
No full textProtein oxidation is considered an ongoing deteriorative process during storage of fresh and processed meat. Carbonyl compounds have traditionally been detected spectrophotometrically after derivatization with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) to form protein-bound hydrazones with absorbance at 370 nm. Here we describe a novel DNPH-based method to quantify protein carbonylation in muscle and meat. The additional steps of the novel method aimed at increasing the protein solubility and inducing protein unfolding before labeling with DNPH. Compared to the traditional method, the new procedure reflected an increased protein carbonylation level measuring overall two to fourfold more carbonyls in muscles from different species as well as in soluble, salt-soluble and insoluble protein fractions. The study suggested that protein unfolding is a more important phenomenon than solubilization for increased DNPH labeling. The novel method resulted in three to fourfold larger carbonyl content determined in chicken, pork and beef (2.8, 3.6 and 3.1 nmol/mg of protein, respectively)
Spaghetti Meat Abnormality in Broilers: Current Understanding and Future Research Directions
Full text linkSpaghetti meat (SM) is a recent muscular abnormality that affects the Pectoralis major muscle of fast-growing broilers. As the appellative suggests, this condition
phenotypically manifests as a loss of integrity of the breast muscle, which appears soft, mushy, and sparsely tight, resembling spaghetti pasta. The incidence of SM can reach
up to 20% and its occurrence exerts detrimental effects on meat composition, nutritional value, and technological properties, accounting for an overall decreased meat value
and important economic losses related to the necessity to downgrade affected meats. However, due to its recentness, the causative mechanisms are still partially unknown and less investigated compared to other muscular abnormalities (i.e., White Striping and Wooden Breast), for which cellular stress and hypoxia caused by muscle hypertrophy are believed to be the main triggering factors. Within this scenario, the present review aims at providing a clear and concise summary of the available knowledge concerning SM abnormality and concurrently presenting the existing research gaps, as well as the potential future developments in the field
Wooden Breast, White Striping and Spaghetti Meat: Chemical Composition, Technological Quality, Microbiological Profile and Sensory Attributes of Broiler Breasts
Full text linkPoultry meat is consumed worldwide and its production is expected to increase in the up‐coming years. Genetic selection in poultry focused on growth rate, feed conversion, and breast yield, resulting in the occurrence of white striping and wooden breast abnormalities and, most recently, spaghetti meat. These myopathies affect the quality traits of raw meat, including pH, color, water holding capacity, and cooking loss, which limit its further processing and decrease consumer acceptance. Additionally, the effects of myopathies on the chemical composition, i.e., reduced protein and essential amino acid content and increased fat contents, impair to some extent the nutritional value of the mea
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