Fat Connective Tissue Research Articles

Multifractal analysis application to the study of fat and its infiltration in Iberian ham: Influence of racial and feeding factors and type of slicing

This paper explores the multifractal features of different commercial designations of Iberian ham (acorn 100% Iberian ham, acorn Iberian ham, feed/pasture Iberian ham and feed Iberian ham). This study has been done by taking as input the fatty infiltration patterns obtained from digital image analysis of ham cuts comparing mechanic and manual slicing. The yielded results show the multifractal nature of fatty connective tissue in Iberian ham, only when knife cutting is applied, confirming the differences between the designations according to their genetics and feeding. Thus, the multifractal parameters presented in this work could be considered as additional information for checking Iberian ham quality by using non-destructive methods based on the combination of image analysis and predictive techniques. Meat industry can take advantage of these methods to evaluate meat products, especially when fat-connective tissue with complex pattern distribution is involved.

Lymphadenectomy using dissection and protection of carotid sheath and main nerves in surgery for benign diseases in the neck

Objective: To investigate the significance of lymphadenectomy using dissection and protection of carotid sheath and main nerves in treating complex benign disease of neck. Methods: A total of 54 cases with benign diseases in neck who received the protective surgical treatments were reviewed. There were 25 cases of recurrent branchial fistula, 15 cases of lymphoid tuberculosis, 5 cases of cystic hygroma, 5 cases of racemose angioma, and 4 cases of Madelung's disease. According to the location and extent of disease, all cases received operation with dissection and protection of carotid sheath and main nerves to removal lesions with lymphoid tissue and fat-connective tissue. Results: All cases recovered well, and no recurrence occurred with follow-up of 3 to 65 months. There was no other complication except for occurring of Horner syndrome in 1 patient. Conclusion: The protective surgical method has certain application value in the treatment of benign neck diseases that have no indefinite boundary and widely distribute.

Characterization of fat-connective tissue size distribution in pre-sliced pork hams using multifractal analysis

Fat-connective tissue size distribution (FSD) in hams is a fundamental physical property for its quality assessment. FSD is related to the sensory properties such as texture, taste, quality of raw meat and visual appearance. In this paper we present a tool to carry out the multifractal analysis (MFA) of two-dimensional binary images of pre-sliced pork hams through the calculation of the f( α)-spectra, Rényi ( D q ) dimensions, and associated statistical regressions and parameters. The application is presented for the structural characterization of FSD in three qualities of pork hams (high yield, medium yield and premium quality hams) using image sections of 512 × 512 pixels 2 with a spatial resolution of 0.102 mm/pixel. MFA was carried out using the method of moments in the optimized box size range of 32–512 pixels for all the ham images using powers of 2, and estimating the probability distribution for moments ranging from −10 < q < 10 in steps of 0.5. The experimental results suggest that MFA has a discriminating effect among the three types of ham using the maximum entropy ( H max ∗ ) and correlation dimension D 2. This investigation revealed the usefulness of the MFA dimensions as quantitative descriptors of texture analysis and pattern distributions of FSD in pre-sliced ham images.

Colour calibration of a laboratory computer vision system for quality evaluation of pre-sliced hams

Due to the high variability and complex colour distribution in meats and meat products, the colour signal calibration of any computer vision system used for colour quality evaluations, represents an essential condition for objective and consistent analyses. This paper compares two methods for CIE colour characterization using a computer vision system (CVS) based on digital photography; namely the polynomial transform procedure and the transform proposed by the sRGB standard. Also, it presents a procedure for evaluating the colour appearance and presence of pores and fat-connective tissue on pre-sliced hams made from pork, turkey and chicken. Our results showed high precision, in colour matching, for device characterization when the polynomial transform was used to match the CIE tristimulus values in comparison with the sRGB standard approach as indicated by their Δ E ab ∗ values. The [3 × 20] polynomial transfer matrix yielded a modelling accuracy averaging below 2.2 Δ E ab ∗ units. Using the sRGB transform, high variability was appreciated among the computed Δ E ab ∗ (8.8 ± 4.2). The calibrated laboratory CVS, implemented with a low-cost digital camera, exhibited reproducible colour signals in a wide range of colours capable of pinpointing regions-of-interest and allowed the extraction of quantitative information from the overall ham slice surface with high accuracy. The extracted colour and morphological features showed potential for characterizing the appearance of ham slice surfaces. CVS is a tool that can objectively specify colour and appearance properties of non-uniformly coloured commercial ham slices.

Cerebral and retinal fat emboli in normal animals fixed by perfusion

The brains and retinas of laboratory animals fixed by perfusion occasionally contain isolated round fat emboli, which increase in number if the two organs are covered with oil during the autopsy. These emboli, in contrast to emboli induced by intravenous injection of oil, are present in smaller numbers, occur without adjacent aggregation of erythrocytes and do not cause widening of the occluded vascular channel. The fat emboli in the normal brain are attributed to connective tissue fat aggregating on the exposed cerebral surface and flowing through openings cut in the leptomeninges and the vascular walls during removal of the brain. Their formation could not be entirely prevented by covering the brain with running water or by submerging the forepart of the animal's body in water during the autopsy. Nevertheless, such a procedure is recommended to avoid introduction of extraneous fat when in a given experiment the question of fat embolism arises. Fat emboli demonstrable in the flattened retina of the cat and the mulatta monkey are ascribed to aspiration of retrobulbar connective tissue fat; they can be prevented by placing a ligature around the optic nerve prior to removal of the eye.

Subconjunctival and Episcleral Lipid Globules

Asymptomatic peripheral subconjunctival and episcleral clear, round globules, 30 to 50 mu in diameter, were found in more than 50% of patients over 50 years of age. This entity occurred in two basic patterns, adjacent to deep conjunctival or episcleral blood vessels or less commonly in isolated patches. These globules increased linearly with age, were more common in women and blacks, with a peak incidence in blacks during the fourth, and in whites, the sixth decade. Histologically, the globules were connective tissue fat cells identical to those found in orbital fat. This entity is not related to obesity, but has a clear relationship to increasing age. The clinical importance of these cells is unknown.

Oral lipoma

The clinical appearance of the submucous oral lipoma is described with reference to 10 cases. In differential diagnosis one must consider: the rare congenital or acquired lipomatoid mass; the soft fibroma; the soft irritation fibroma; the enlargement of Bichat's fat-ball in children; Recklingshausen's disease. The histopathology of lipomas as well as the microscopic characteristics of normal adipose tissue are considered. It is pointed out that in adults, also in cachectic situations, fat is present immediately under the buccal mucous membrane. From a microscopic point of view lipomas can be differentiated in true lipomas, fibrolipomas and lipofibromas, dependent on the ratio: fat—connective tissue. The genesis and way of growth of lipomas remain still obscure; notably, no mitoses or lipoblasts to demonstrate growth are seen in our cases. Our findings for the most part agree with those of other authors.

Biochemistry Of Meat Hydration

This chapter is concerned with the meat of mammals. Studies on the water-holding capacity (WHC) of the flesh of poultry and fish are also taken into consideration. Binding of water by muscle proteins and water-holding capacity of meat have been described. Methods appropriate for study of the WHC concern differences in the immobilization of “free” water. Most such methods are based on measuring the loose water liberated by applying pressure on the muscle tissue. The pressure can be produced in different ways: normal acceleration by gravity, increased acceleration of gravity, filtration, or pressing between two plates. The influence of pH on the WHC of meat has been studied because in this way the importance of protein charges to the hydration of muscle proteins is recognized. Moreover, such a study gives information of practical importance because the storage and processing of meat are usually accompanied by changes of pH. Metals such as magnesium, calcium, and zinc, which are in meat by nature, have an important influence on water-holding capacity in spite of their relatively low concentration. The chapter discusses animal factors affecting meat hydration and with respect to species, sex, age, grade, breeding, and muscle. The influence of the health, feeding, and treatment of animals during transport and before slaughtering is of importance in the hydration of muscle. Numerous experiments have been conducted on producing meat of a high pH and consequently, of a high WHC by certain treatments before slaughter in order to prevent weight losses during freezing and thawing, transport, storage, cooking, etc. Under post-mortem changes in meat hydration, effect of adenosine triphosphate, phase of rigor mortis, and phase of aging have been studied. The chapter discusses factors affecting hydration of aged meat and components of meat such as moisture proteins fat connective tissue.

V. Further note on the minute anatomy of the thymus

In the involution of the thymus, connective tissue is formed in the medullary portion of the follicle; and to some extent in the cortical. Besides this, the connective tissue outside the follicles increases, and in this connective tissue fat is formed; by these means the gland is finally replaced by fat and fibrous threads.