Beef Slices Research Articles

Improving oxidative and microbial stability of beef using Shahri Balangu seed mucilage loaded with Cumin essential oil as a bioactive edible coating

Abstract Antimicrobial edible coatings containing natural herbal extracts and essential oil possess various benefits and are currently used to design novel active biodegradable packaging. In this study, adaptive neuro fuzzy inference systems (ANFIS) model was used to predict the population of pathogenic microorganisms, chemical changes, and sensory characteristics of beef slices during 9- day storage period. First, Cumin essential oil (CEO) was incorporated into Shahri Balangu seed mucilage (SBM) to fabricate an active and eco-friendly edible coating for beef slice. Microbial populations (based on total viable count (TVC), psychrotrophic count, Escherichia coli, coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus, and mold and yeasts) and lipid oxidation of the coated beef reduced significantly during storage period, and this was more pronounced in SBM coatings containing higher CEO concentrations. The SBM-CEO edible coating had no adverse effects on the sensory characteristics and it conferred a better texture to the product as compared to the control sample. According to the TVC results, the shelf-life of beef samples coated with SBM, SBM+0.5%CEO, SBM+1%CEO, SBM+1.5%CEO, and SBM+2%CEO were 3, 6, 9, 9, and 9 days, respectively. The coating containing 2% Cumin essential oil conferred good quality characteristics to the beef and expanded its refrigeration shelf-life. The CEO enriched SBM could be therefore employed as an active packaging to ameliorate quality attribute and microbial safety of beef and other fresh food products. In addition, ANFIS model had high R2 values (>0.84), which indicated that the designed ANFIS model had enough accuracy for predicting the qualitative and microbial properties of coated beef during storage.

Effect of packaging method and storage temperature on quality properties of cold-dried beef slices

The chemical, microbiological, and sensory properties of modified atmosphere packaged (MAP) and atmospheric packaged (AP) cold-dried beef slices (10 °C at 3 m/s after steam pasteurization) were investigated to determine the storage stability at 4 and 25 °C, over 90 days. With increasing storage temperature and time, the CO2 in the MAP samples decreased while the CO2 in the AP samples increased. The water activity of beef slices decreased from 0.91 to 0.88 during storage. Thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, non-protein nitrogen, and pH were higher in the AP than MAP samples, and all three parameters increased (from 25.25 to 60.11 μmol malondialdehyde/kg, 4.37–6.66 g/100 g, and 5.68 to 5.93, respectively) during storage. MAP samples presented the best microbiological quality and, at low-temperature storage, the highest sensory quality. The shelf lives were 90 days/4 °C and 75 days/25 °C for MAP vs. 60 days/4 °C and 45 days/25 °C for AP.

High-energy all-fiber gain-switched thulium-doped fiber laser for volumetric photoacoustic imaging of lipids

We demonstrate a high-energy all-fiber short wavelength gain-switched thulium-doped fiber laser for volumetric photoacoustic (PA) imaging of lipids. The laser cavity is constructed by embedding a short piece of gain fiber between a pair of fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs). Through using three pairs of FBGs with operation wavelengths at 1700, 1725, and 1750 nm, three similar lasers are realized with a cavity length of around 25 cm. Under a maximum pump energy of 300 μJ at 1560 nm, laser pulse energies of 58.2, 66.8, and 75.3 μJ are, respectively, achieved with a minimum pulse width of < 16.7 ns at a repetition rate of 10 kHz. Volumetric imaging of lipids is validated through scanning a fat beef slice with a PA microscopy system incorporated with the newly developed source, and a lateral resolution of 18.8 μm and an axial resolution of 172.9 μm are achieved. Moreover, the higher shooting speed of the developed source can potentially allow for increasing at twice the frame rate of current intravascular PA imaging.

ОСОБЕННОСТИ ДИНАМИКИ МИКРОБИОЛОГИЧЕСКОГО ОБСЕМЕНЕНИЯ ОБОРУДОВАНИЯ ДЛЯ СЕРВИРОВОЧНОЙ НАРЕЗКИ ЦЕЛЬНОКУСКОВЫХ ДЕЛИКАТЕСОВ ИЗ МЯСА ГОВЯДИНЫ

The article presents the results of microbiological control of equipment and meat products, including beef meat delicacies and sausage slices. Studies have shown that the contamination process of meat delicacies during slicing significantly increases, the twelve-hour process leads to the gradual contamination of both the container tape and the knife with mesophilic aerobic and facultative anaerobic microorganisms (QMAFAnM). So, the contamination of the QMAFAnM conveyor belt after 6 hours of operation exceeds the same indicator before the start of the shift by 150% (3.7 × 101 CFU/100 cm2 ), and after 12 – by 359.33% (6,9 × 101 CFU/100 cm2 ). The increase of number of microflora on the knife slicer after 12 hours of operation was 296,67% (5,95 × 101 CFU/100 cm2 ). By the end of the shift, bacterial contamination of beef slices (2,3 × 101 CFU/100 cm2 ), cooked sausages (3,4 × 101 CFU/100 cm2 ), cooked smoked sausages (2,8 × 101 CFU/100 cm2 ) also increased.

Plasma-activated water as an alternative nitrite source for the curing of beef jerky: Influence on quality and inactivation of Listeria innocua

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of plasma-activated brine (PAB) as a nitrite source for the curing of beef jerky. The effects of PAB on quality parameters and on the microbial reduction of inoculated L. innocua were monitored. Beef slices were cured for ~18 h at 4 °C in brine solutions containing 0, 100 or 150 ppm of sodium nitrite, 150 ppm of sodium chloride (NaCl) and 100 ppm of sugar and subjected to plasma treatment. PAB were generated by a plasma beam system operating at 20 kHz and supplied with air or nitrogen (N2) gas. Results showed significant higher levels (p < .05) of nitrites in brines activated by air-plasma (90–184 ppm) compared to N2 gas (3–17 ppm). No significant differences were found in the texture and lipid oxidation levels of samples cured in PAB compared to standard curing. However, a significant higher a* value (6.45 ± 0.50, p < .001) was observed in samples cured in PAB. Significant reductions (p < .01) of 0.5 log CFU/mL in the population of L. innocua were observed in the brines and of 0.85 log CFU/g reduction in the jerky when cured in PAB. These results showed that plasma-curing could supply a suitable source of nitrite for meat products and, further optimisation of the technology could have applications for meat decontamination.

Influence of drying techniques and temperatures on drying kinetics and quality characteristics of beef slices

Beef slices were vacuum-dried (at 60, 70 and 80 °C) and oven-dried (at 60 °C), respectively. The drying rate was significantly influenced by the drying technique and temperature. Six kinetic models were selected to evaluate the moisture ratio data, with regard to adjusted regression coefficient (R2), the reduced chi-square (χ2) and root mean square error (RMSE). Among the tested models, the Page model showed the best fit to the experimental drying data. The lipid oxidation, rehydration rate, color and shear force properties of vacuum-dried beef slices were considerably better compared to oven-dried beef slices. Furthermore, vacuum drying at >60 °C ensured suitable microbiological quality and safety of the dry beef slices during storage due to the low water activity (0.45) of the product. Consequently, these results can be used to simulate the vacuum drying of beef slices and improve the efficiency of the drying process and the product quality.

Action of plasma-activated lactic acid on the inactivation of inoculated Salmonella Enteritidis and quality of beef

This study aimed to investigate the effects of plasma-activated lactic acid (PALA) on Salmonella Enteritidis and beef quality. To improve the antibacterial efficiency of plasma-activated water (PAW), plasma-activated lactic acid (PALA) was prepared by treating lactic acid (0.05–0.20%) with a plasma jet for 40 to 100 s with subsequent application to the surfaces of beef slices (50 × 50 mm, approximately 10 g). Slices were analyzed for changes in surface color, pH, lipid oxidation and odor. In addition, secondary structure (β-sheet and random coil) of the beef protein was determined using Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. We showed that the antibacterial activity of PALA was closely related to the reaction of NO 2 − with H 2 O 2 as well as the decomposition of NO 2 − under acidic conditions. UV-treated fresh beef slices were spot-inoculated with Salmonella Enteritidis (5.67 log CFU/g) and then immersed in PALA solutions for 20 s; leading to a reduction ranging from 1.24 to 3.52 log CFU/g. Data indicated that there was no negative effect of PALA on beef quality parameters. This study not only provided a theoretical basis for developing a novel decontaminant but also enabled PALA to find a way for practical application. In China, a high concentration of lactic acid (2.0–2.5%) is a widely used bactericidal agent in the beef industry. However, it has a negative effect on the odor and protein of the product. The meat industry faces challenges in achieving the balance between the antimicrobial effect on meat and the quality of the product. Based on this, plasma-activated water (PAW) is a hopeful alternative decontaminant for microbial inhibition on meat, made by treating water with non-thermal plasma, containing reactive species, ions and charged particles, which is safe and environmentally friendly. This study demonstrated that plasma-activated lactic acid (PALA) was more effective and stable than PAW. The PALA treatment of beef slices not only led to the reduction of Salmonella Enteritidis but maintained beef quality. PALA appears a promising decontaminant for the meat industry. • Antibacterial efficacy of PAW was enhanced by 0.77–4.58 log CFU/mL with addition of lactic acid (0.05–0.20%). • Lactic acid resulted in higher amounts of NO and NO 2 after plasma treatment. • No significant changes in color, pH, lipid oxidation, odor and protein of the beef was detected.

Quality characteristics of cold-dried beef slices

In this study, salted and pasteurized beef slices were dried to approximately 40% water content at different low temperatures (10, 15 and 20 °C) and air flow rates (1, 2, 3 and 4 m/s) and the quality characteristics of the cold-dried beef slices were investigated. The TBARS values of cold-dried slices increased from 42.01 to 54.54 μmol MDA/kg with the increase in drying temperature and from 27.29 to 67.79 μmol MDA/kg with the increase in air flow rate indicating that low temperature and low air flow rate can help to avoid the lipid oxidation. Low drying temperature was also found to impact on the color of cold-dried slices. Additionally, it was determined that the microbiological quality of cold-dried slices decreased as the temperature increased from 10 to 20 °C and air flow rate increased from 1 to 4 m/s. Finally, the slices dried at 10 °C and 3 m/s had higher sensorial property scores. Consequently, low drying temperature and high air flow rate could enhance the quality of dried beef slices.

Effects of Treatment Time and Thickness of Meat on the Removal of Radioactive Cesium from Beef Slices by Boiling and Water Extraction

Boiling effectively decreased radioactive cesium concentrations in beef. Water extraction was also effective but not as effective as boiling. The decontamination effect increased with treatment time. The decontamination effect was inversely proportion to the square of the thickness of the beef slice.

Cold dryer as novel process for producing a minimally processed and dried meat

Abstract In this study, it was aimed to design a novel dryer that operates at low temperature (≤20 °C) for the production of a minimally processed and dried meat, and to determine the drying characteristics of this product. Beef slices loaded into this dryer were dried at different low temperatures (10, 15 and 20 °C) and air flow rates (1, 2, 3 and 4 m/s) after pasteurization. The drying time of slices was significantly influenced by the temperatures and air flow rates. The shortest drying time that pass until reaching the final water content (40%) was found in the slices subjected to a temperature of 10 °C and an air flow rate of 4 m/s. Nine kinetic models were selected to evaluate the moisture ratio data, with regard to adjusted regression coefficient (R2), the reduced chi-square (χ2) and root mean square error (RMSE). Page model exhibited the best fit (R2 ≥ 0.9961; χ2 ≤ 0.0002 and RMSE ≤ 0.0125). In addition, the effective moisture diffusivity (Deff) and activation energy (Ea) values of slices were 7.13 × 10−10 m2/s and 44.96 kJ/mol, respectively. Consequently, the low drying temperature could shorten the drying time of beef because the driving force for mass transfer is supplied by the moisture difference between food and the air in the dryer. Industrial relevance The novel dryer could carry out minimal processing to the meat, provide food safety and perform drying in cold conditions (≤20 °C). Beef slices dried faster with a drying temperature of 10 °C and an air flow rate of 4 m/s in this dryer. Various dried products also could be obtained by cold drying method without the loss of their quality properties.

Drying Modelling, Moisture Diffusivity and Sensory quality of Thin Layer dried Beef

The objective of the present study was to determine the drying kinetics, moisture diffusivity and sensory quality of convective air dried beef. The effect of temperature of drying (30-60°C) and thickness of samples (2.5-10 mm) on the convective thin-layer drying kinetics of beefdried in a cabinet dryer was evaluated. Five semi-theoretical models were fit to the drying experimentaldata with the aim of predicting drying characteristics of beef and fitting quality of models determined using the standard error of estimate (SEE)and coefficient of determination (R2). Determination ofeffective moisture diffusivity (Deff) from the experimental drying datawas done and sensory quality of the optimized dried cooked and uncookedbeef samplesevaluated. Drying time and rate of drying increased with an increasing temperature but decreased with increased slice thickness. However, there was overlapping of drying curves at 40-50°C. Among the selected models, Page model gave the best prediction of beef drying characteristics. Effective moisture diffusivity (Deff) ranged between 4.2337 x 10-11 and 5.5899 x 10-10 m2/s, increasing with an increase in air temperature and beef slice thickness.Of all the sensory parameters evaluated, texture was the only attribute that gave significantly different (P &gt; 0.05) scores between the cooked and uncooked dried beef samples.

Drying kinetics, adsorption isotherms and quality characteristics of vacuum-dried beef slices with different salt contents

In this study, the effect of salt content (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 g/100 g dry basis) on the drying kinetics, adsorption isotherms, and quality characteristics of beef slices were investigated. Beef slices were salted and vacuum-dried at 70 °C, until a moisture content of 32% (dry basis). The adsorption isotherms of the dried beef slices were described at 25 °C. The drying time for beef slices at the salt contents of 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 g NaCl/100 g d.b. were 212, 207, 194, 160 and 137 min respectively. Modified Henderson and Pabis, and Page models exhibited a better fit for the drying kinetics of beef slices than the other drying models tested. The adsorption isotherm of dried beef slices is typical Type-II, but the addition of salt led to this behavior to change to type III. The BET model (R2 > 0.98 and %E ≤ 13.40) for all samples exhibited a good fit to the experimental data.

Shirazi balangu (Lallemantia royleana) seed mucilage: Chemical composition, molecular weight, biological activity and its evaluation as edible coating on beefs

In this study, Lallemantia royleana seed mucilage (LRSM) was extracted from whole seeds using hot-water extraction. The structural information (monosaccharide compositions and molecular weight analysis), chemical composition (moisture, protein, ash, fat and carbohydrate), biological activity (antimicrobial, total phenol content and antioxidant activity) and effect LRSM edible coating on population of microbial pathogens (total viable count (TVC), psychrotrophic bacteria, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and fungi), chemical changes (thiobarbituric acid, peroxide value and pH) and sensory attributes (color, odor and total acceptability) of the beef slices at 4°C for 18days (0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18) were determined. The LRSM had 76.74% carbohydrate, 3.86% protein, 9.92% ash and 9.48% moisture. LRSM is a high molecular weight (1.19×106Da) polysaccharide, composed of galactose (36.28%), arabinose (35.96%), rhamnose (15.18%), xylose (7.38%) and glucose (5.20%). The LRSM total phenolic content and antioxidant activity (IC50) were equal to 82.56±1.6μgGAE/mg and 528.54±0.35μg/ml, respectively. The results showed that, the beef shelf life based on TVC for samples control, LRSM, LRSM+1% AHEO, LRSM+1.5% AHEO, and LRSM+2% AHEO were 6, 9, 9, 12, and 15days, respectively. There was no significant difference between LRSM+1% AHEO and LRSM samples, but the TVC in first one had slight changes than LRSM. Compared to the control samples, LRSM extended the microbial shelf life, oxidative stability and sensorial acceptability of beef by 3, 6 and 6days, respectively.

Development of a novel edible coating made by Balangu seed mucilage and Feverfew essential oil and investigation of its effect on the shelf life of beef slices during refrigerated storage through intelligent modeling

AbstractIn this study, multilayer perceptron (MLP) and radial basis function network (RBFN) were employed to predict the population of microbial pathogens, chemical changes and sensory attributes of the beef slices. The chemical composition of Tanacetum parthenium essential oil (TPEO) was determined through gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Disk diffusion agar, well diffusion agar, pour plate, minimum inhibitory concentration, minimum bactericidal/fungicidal concentration were used to evaluated the antimicrobial effect of TPEO. The contents of phytochemical and total phenolic compounds as well as the antioxidant activity of TPEO were also measured. Camphor with a percentage of 44.2% was the major compound of TPEO. The total phenolic content and antioxidant power of TPEO were equal to 151.2 ± 2.10 µg/ml gallic acid equivalent and 57.25 ± 0.2 µg/ml, respectively. MLP and RBFN are both capable of fitting the data and predicting. However, RBFN, due to its lower mean squared error, had a better performance than MLP.Practical applicationsIn recent years, given the concerns about the risks of the consumption of chemical and synthetic preservatives, there has been a considerable tendency towards replacing them with natural preservatives. Lallemantia royleana seed mucilage (LRSM) is a native Iranian hydrocolloid which can be utilized in producing edible coatings and in the formulations of food products. Feverfew is a valuable medicinal plant which is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of inflammation, pain, fever and infection. In the present study, LRSM and LRSM + 1% TPEO extended the shelf life of beef up to 3 days, whereas LRSM + 1.5% TPEO and LRSM + 2% TPEO resulted in a significant shelf life extension of the samples by 9 days, as compared with the control. These results suggested that LRSM coating combined with TPEO could be used as an effective natural alternative to improve the quality of beef during refrigerate storage.

Superstrate loaded miniaturized patch for biomedical telemetry

ABSTRACTA Superstrate loaded miniaturized patch antenna is proposed for biomedical applications. The targeted operating frequency is (902–928 MHz) ISM band with a center frequency of 915 MHz. The antenna is designed to operate in close proximity with human‐body with a size of 25 × 25 × 1.92 mm3. Parametric studies were conducted to specify the dominant parameters and to understand their effect on the antenna performance. Measurements show that the fabricated antenna resonates around 915 MHz with a 30 MHz impedance bandwidth. On‐skin measurement results are presented for several spots on the human‐body. Furthermore, the transmission coefficient (S21) of the fabricated antenna is measured using lean beef slices with various thicknesses and showed good agreement with simulation results. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:1212–1218, 2017

Teriyaki sauce with carvacrol or thymol effectively controls Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella Typhimurium, and indigenous flora in marinated beef and marinade

An effective bactericidal cold-marinating method for beef products is described, exploiting the synergism between soy sauce and natural compounds (carvacrol, CV or thymol, TM) to reduce microbiological risks. Beef slices inoculated with Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella Typhimurium (3.1–3.5logCFU/g) were marinated in a teriyaki sauce with or without CV and TM (0.3 and 0.5%). After 1, 3, and 7days at 4°C, indigenous microflora population, color, lipid oxidation, marinade uptake, and pH of marinated beef and leftover marinade samples were examined. Teriyaki sauce alone did not reduce or inhibit any of the target pathogens or indigenous bacteria, while 0.5% CV- or TM-containing teriyaki sauce inactivated all inocula without recovery within 7days (p<0.05). The pathogens relocated from the beef into the leftover marinade (3.0–3.4logCFU/mL) were also completely inactivated. The treatment inhibited growth of indigenous aerobic bacteria (p<0.05) and inactivated coliform bacteria. Physicochemical parameters were not significantly affected (p>0.05).

Principle component analysis (PCA) for investigation of relationship between population dynamics of microbial pathogenesis, chemical and sensory characteristics in beef slices containing Tarragon essential oil.

Principle component analysis (PCA) was employed to examine the effect of the exerted treatments on the beef shelf life as well as discovering the correlations between the studied responses. Considering the variability of the dimensions of the responses, correlation coefficients were applied to form the matrix and extract the eigenvalue. Antimicrobial effect was evaluated on 10 pathogenic microorganisms through the methods of hole-plate diffusion method, disk diffusion method, pour plate method, minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal/fungicidal concentration. Antioxidant potential and total phenolic content were examined through the method of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and Folin-Ciocalteu method, respectively. The components were identified through gas chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Barhang seed mucilage (BSM) based edible coating containing 0, 0.5, 1 and 1.5% (w/w) Tarragon (T) essential oil mix were applied on beef slices to control the growth of pathogenic microorganisms. Microbiological (total viable count, psychrotrophic count, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and fungi), chemical (thiobarbituric acid, peroxide value and pH) and sensory characteristics (odor, color and overall acceptability) analysis measurements were made during the storage periodically. PCA was employed to examine the effect of the exerted treatments on the beef shelf life as well as discovering the correlations between the studied responses. Considering the variability of the dimensions of the responses, correlation coefficients were applied to form the matrix and extract the eigenvalue. The PCA showed that the properties of the uncoated meat samples on the 9th, 12th, 15th and 18th days of storage are continuously changing independent of the exerted treatments on the other samples. This reveals the effect of the exerted treatments on the samples.

Development and testing of a prototype automatic trim sampler

The N60 method currently mandated by regulatory bodies in North America for routine testing of beef trim for Escherichia coli O157:H7 requires that 60 slices of beef, up to 375 g, be removed from combo bins containing up to 10,000 lb of beef trim. The objective of this study was to design and test a prototype automatic trim sampler that would reduce the resource demands of, and result in more representative sampling than, N60. Ten commercial combo bins were each sampled at five locations of each of four levels, by swabbing an area of 1000 cm2 and by excision of up to five meat pieces with a total area of 100 cm2. The samples were enriched in modified Tryptone Soy Broth supplemented with novobiocin at 20 mg/L, and tested for generic E. coli using real-time PCR. A prototype trim sampler was constructed and tested for recovery of aerobes, coliforms and E. coli and was compared to manual swabbing, using beef trim artificially contaminated with E. coli. Overall, 21.5% of excision samples and 38.0% of swab samples from combo bins were positive for E. coli. Of the 40 levels that were sampled, 50.0% were positive by excision, 70.0% were positive by swabbing. The sampler, designed based on swab sampling, could process trim of ≤1 kg. Of the 12 pairs of manual sampling and automatic sampling compared, ≥ 8 were not significantly different for recovering each of the three groups of indicator organisms (P > 0.05). The findings of this study show that swab sampling can be more sensitive and representative than excision sampling for recovering small numbers of E. coli from beef trim and the prototype sampler can have efficacy comparable to manual swabbing for recovering all three groups of indicator organisms from beef.

Instructions to the Living from the Condition of the Dead

Instructions to the Living from the Condition of the Dead Jason Brown (bio) Click for larger view View full resolution Photo by Corporal Charles Overstreet, Charles Overstreet Collection, Flora Public Library [End Page 70] The door hinges creaked, and the thudding footfalls [End Page 71] of his family shook the beams. What were they doing here today, the day before Thanksgiving? Voices, the crackling of grocery bags, firewood clunking in front of the hearth (because they thought he was too old now to carry it from the barn himself). They swarmed into every corner of the parlor and the kitchen with no thought to the most important question, the same this year as every year: Who had brought the goddamned cheddar? Indeed. Two years ago he'd put his foot down and said he would no longer provide! So this year would be the same as last year: crackers and hummus from California. "Dad? Where are you?" called Melissa, his mealymouthed, psalm-singing sycophant of a granddaughter-in-law, a lawyer from California who always talked about the importance in old age of regular bowel movements. A sharp slap on the staircase, then another and another. Nowhere to retreat to except into his bedroom. Not safe! The first place Melissa would look. The bathroom, and once there, into the cast-iron tub? Forced to evacuate because these people had shown up on Isabel's birthday. His family didn't even know about Isabel and wouldn't approve if they did. Their beloved Grandma Sarah departed, and here he was sneaking over to Isabel's house. Tut, tut, the old Heathcliff. No cheddar for him! The slapping grew louder as he decided to stand his ground in the bathroom (they had just once, he and Isabel, lain side by side in her great bed, with their clothes on, and he had leaned over to kiss her). "Your wife was very pretty," Isabel said. "She is," he replied, and this would've been a good chance to explain (though he decided it was not wise) the overwhelming feeling that his wife was not dead but everywhere around him at all times. He heard no sound for almost a minute, so he opened the door to the bathroom. Five small fingers rested on the top step. The scruffy blond hair. The blue eyes and tanned face of his great-grandson, William Pal-fry Howland (Will), resident of Ojai, California, a place, he gathered, where people lolled around in the sun like overfed housecats. Having summited the top step, his great-grandson sighed. "Daddy wants to talk to you," he said and cocked his head. "The grand one or the regular one?" John asked. He heard his wife, Sarah, clucking in the air around him. She didn't need to tell him to leave the boy be. His great-grandson frowned and pursed his lips. The smallness of his mouth reminded John of Melissa, the boy's mother, who measured her [End Page 72] words like a butcher adding slices of roast beef on the scale. The more she spoke, the more he would have to pay. She'd actually been born in Maine, not California, but she was a Yankee in name only. Her branch of the John Gorham Palfrys suffered from dry rot, but none of that was the boy's fault. "Ah, I don't know what dayyy wants," Will said and shrugged. Cocking his hip and raising his hand in the air, Will flashed that sly smile, head tilted. Were all the children from California born to sell insurance? "Do you want to play a game?" John asked. "No—." Will shook his head. "Well, you're in luck because I have a secret stash of cookies. . . ." "Why?" "Why? So no one else will eat them." This seemed to cause horrible confusion. Will put his palm up to the side of his head. "I don't like cookies," Will said. "Everyone likes cookies," John countered. "Do they have sugar in them?" "Do they have sugar? Of course. They're cookies." Will shook his head sadly. As always, John had lost the battle before it even started. "What the heck do you...

Statistical approaches to access the effect of Lactobacillus sakei culture and ultrasound frequency on fatty acid profile of beef jerky

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of ultrasonic frequencies and drying time on fatty acid profiles of beef jerky samples possessing different microbial compositions. Beef slices were cured using curing solutions formulated both with and without Lactobacillus sakei. Curing was carried out for 18h at 4°C prior to hot air drying at 60°C for 4h. Jerky samples from both treatment groups were then subjected to ultrasonic frequencies of 25kHz, 33kHz and 45kHz for 30min. Beef jerky samples were subsequently analysed for fatty acid profile using Gas Chromatography. In the present study, beef slices showed a high level of MUFAs, which accounted for 45.6–53.8%, followed by the SFAs (36.3–47.8%) and PUFAs (4.8–13.7%), respectively. Results demonstrated a significant effect of beef jerky processing on fatty acid profile. Various correlation analyses showed that changes in fatty acid profiles were significantly affected by individual and/or interactive effects of L. sakei, drying time and ultrasonic frequency.