Meat Freshness Research Articles

A Comprehensive Method for Assessing Meat Freshness Using Fusing Electronic Nose, Computer Vision, and Artificial Tactile Technologies

The traditional methods cannot be used to meet the requirements of rapid and objective detection of meat freshness. Electronic nose (E-Nose), computer vision (CV), and artificial tactile (AT) sensory technologies can be used to mimic humans’ compressive sensory functions of smell, look, and touch when making judgement of meat quality (freshness). Though individual E-Nose, CV, and AT sensory technologies have been used to detect the meat freshness, the detection results vary and are not reliable. In this paper, a new method has been proposed through the integration of E-Nose, CV, and AT sensory technologies for capturing comprehensive meat freshness parameters and the data fusion method for analysing the complicated data with different dimensions and units of six odour parameters of E-Nose, 9 colour parameters of CV, and 4 rubbery parameters of AT for effective meat freshness detection. The pork and chicken meats have been selected for a validation test. The total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N) assays are used to define meat freshness as the standard criteria for validating the effectiveness of the proposed method. The principal component analysis (PCA) and support vector machine (SVM) are used as unsupervised and supervised pattern recognition methods to analyse the source data and the fusion data of the three instruments, respectively. The experimental and data analysis results show that compared to a single technology, the fusion of E-Nose, CV, and AT technologies significantly improves the detection performance of various freshness meat products. In addition, partial least squares (PLS) is used to construct TVB-N value prediction models, in which the fusion data is input. The root mean square error predictions (RMSEP) for the sample pork and chicken meats are 1.21 and 0.98, respectively, in which the coefficient of determination (R2) is 0.91 and 0.94. This means that the proposed method can be used to effectively detect meat freshness and the storage time (days).

Meat freshness revealed by visible to near-infrared spectroscopy and principal component analysis

Increasing concerns about adulterated meat encouraged industry looking for new non-invasive methods for rapid accurate meat quality assessment. Main meat chromophores (myoglobin, oxy-myoglobin, fat, water, collagen) are characterized by close comparable absorption in visible to near-infrared (NIR) spectral region. Therefore, structural and compositional variations in meat may lead to relative differences in the absorption of light. Utilizing typical fiber-optic probes and integrating sphere, a degradation of pork samples freshness was observed at room temperature referring to the relative changes in absorbance of main meat chromophores. The application of principal component analysis (PCA) used for examination of measured absorbance spectra revealed more detailed sub-stages of freshness, which are not observed by the conventional analysis of the reflectance spectra. The results show a great potential of the combined application of optical-NIR spectroscopy with complementary use of PCA approach for assessing meat quality and monitoring relative absorbance alternation of oxymyoglobin and myoglobin in visible, and fat, water, collagen in NIR spectral ranges.

Improvement of properties of smart ink via chitin nanofiber and application as freshness indicator

Chitin nanofiber decorated with both cationic (NH3+) and anionic (COO−) is fabricated by partial deacetylation and TEMPO-oxidation (TEMPO/NaClO2/NaClO) system. As-prepared zwitterionic chitin nanofiber has particle size around 395 nm and excellent dispersibility. It could synergize with chitosan to immobilize anthocyanin for manufacturing smart ink, which is proved to be mainly stabilized by hydrogen bond. Chitin nanofiber could improve the rheology properties including yield stress and shearing viscosity of the ink, and result in excellent printability with rub resistance and tape fastness being up to 97.8 % and 98.9 % respectively. The screen-printed label (based on smart ink) displays different colors and shows certain color change trend under different pH conditions. Analysis of the volatile basic nitrogen, CIE Lab (Commission International Eclairage color model) and pH demonstrates the effective indicating properties of the label for fish freshness level. The application on fish proves that this screen-printed label could be an easy, green way to determine the meat freshness.

Application of bromocresol purple nanofilm and laser light to detect mutton freshness.

Optical waveguide gas sensor with bromocresol purple (BCP) nano-film (70-80nm) composited with silicone deposited on surface of K+-ion exchanged glass slide was fabricated and applied to detect amine gases released during mutton spoilage to test mutton freshness with the help of laser light (632m). Gas sensing measurements (output light intensity vs. time) proved its high selectivity and good sensitivity (0.01ppm) toward amines among volatile organic compounds. The optimal fabricating condition (2600rpm, 0.10% BCP, 5.17% silicone) was selected experimentally, displaying 1s and 12s response-recovery time toward gases released from mutton samples stored at 5°C and 25°C respectively. The sensing mechanism was explained by combination and competition of diffusion-reaction, considering deprotonating reaction of bromocresol purple molecules and molecular size of analyte gases in diffusion process. UV-vis spectroscopy was used to select the specific wavelength of laser light source in optical waveguide performance and to detect the total volatile basic nitrogen contents in mutton sample to confirm the practicability of as-prepared optical waveguide sensor in detecting mutton freshness. The fabricated sensor is able to detect 7.2mg/100g gases released from mutton decomposition, providing a simple, fast, and cheap method to detect meat freshness.

Facile fabrication of PANI/Zn-tpps4 flexible NH3 sensor based on the “bridge” of Zn-tpps4

Produced in the process of meat spoilage, ammonia (NH3) is believed to be an important gas, as its concentration is a major indicator for evaluating freshness. A flexible NH3 sensor, based on novel polyaniline/Zn-porphyrin (PANI/Zn-tpps4) composite, was designed via a one-step electrodeposition method where a strong π-π conjugated system formed through the combination of the quinone ring of the PANI molecular chain and sulfate radical of the Zn-tpps4 molecule. The new sensor PANI/Zn-tpps4 film possesses outstanding sensing characteristics in terms of response value,enabling it to perform better than pure PANI film. To further explore the performance of PANI/Zn-tpps4 film, the gas-sensing properties, humidity and endurance tests were fully evaluated at low NH3 concentration. It was concluded that the sensing performance was dramatically improved, because the Zn-tpps4,acting as a “bridge”, facilitated the transfer of electrons from NH3 molecules to PANI molecular chains. It is expected that the PANI/Zn-tpps4 sensor can be attached to deformable packaging membrane to form an ideal device as meat freshness indicator.

농장 내 특정 음원 노출이 육계의 출하 체중과 닭고기 등급에 미치는 효과

The current study was conducted to evaluate the effect of music enrichment on the live body weight of chickens and meat quality grade of the carcasses. Fourteen flocks at four broiler farms with identical windowless houses were provided with identical starter and finisher diets. These were either exposed to classical music or not exposed to any music from the starter to slaughter age. At 30 days posthatch, the chickens were transported from farms to a slaughterhouse. Two hundred carcasses from each flock were randomly selected for measurement of the carcass traits by the licensed meat inspectors at the slaughterhouse. The live body weights at the slaughter age were not significantly different between the two treatments. In addition, music enrichment did not affect meat freshness (i.e., torrymeter values) nor did it affect other carcass trait variables including percentage of bruises, flesh blemishes, abnormalities, and quality A grade. In conclusion, music enrichment did not affect the body weight or carcass quality of broiler chickens.

Fibre-optic biosensor for the detection of xanthine for the evaluation of meat freshness

Xanthine is produced by guanine deaminase and xanthine oxidase from guanine and hypoxanthine, respectively. It serves as an indicator of spoilage of meat and various pathological conditions. An optical biosensor has been fabricated for the detection of xanthine by absorption transmission approach. The bioassay principle used in this study is conversion of xanthine to uric acid and H2O2 by XO. Due to the production of uric acid, pH of the reaction decreases and falls in range of 7.5 - 6. The absorptive dye phenol red has been screened to visualize the change in colour. The coimmobilization of XO and dye phenol red indicator was done with sol-gel method onto the circular plastic discs for the development of biosensor. Volume of sample required for detection has been miniaturized to 10μl. The linear range of concentration and limit of detection were 0.5μM – 150μM and 0.5 μM respectively, have been achieved for xanthine. The designed biosensor was successfully employed for the detection of xanthine in chicken meat sample. Present study leads to the development of a fast and dependable biosensor with miniaturized sample volume and also mass scale screening possible through colour visualization.

Imported Versus Domestic Chicken Consumption in Ghana: Do Attitudes and Perceptions Matter?

Growth in the worldwide consumption of poultry meat, especially in developing countries, has resulted in increasing trade, raising concerns and criticisms about imports. Such concerns and criticisms include the potential to collapse the domestic industry and lead to job losses. This paper, therefore, analyzes the role of personal factors in driving the frequency of chicken meat consumption in general and, in particular, domestic and imported chicken. Results from a survey of 500 urban consumers in Ghana show that attitudes and perceptions are key factors influencing chicken meat consumption. Specifically, concerns about food safety, price, and the lack of convenience reduce regular domestic chicken consumption, while perceived quality and ethnocentrism increase regular consumption. Regarding imported chicken, price, convenience, and availability influence frequent consumption. Promotional activities that highlight the quality aspects in terms of taste and freshness of domestic chicken meat can give domestic actors a competitive advantage.

Development of active/intelligent food packaging film containing Amaranthus leaf extract for shelf life extension of chicken/fish during chilled storage

Abstract Composite active/intelligent food packaging film was developed with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and gelatin incorporated with Amaranthus leaf extract (ALE) to monitor freshness of fish and chicken meat. ALE was rich in phenolic compounds, betalains and showed excellent antioxidant activity. ALE changed colour under basic pH due to the betalains present in it. The effect of ALE addition on the physical, mechanical and functional properties of the film was evaluated. Film containing ALE showed increased protection against UV light, reduced water solubility and water vapour permeability and had better mechanical properties. The inclusion of ALE, imparted antioxidant, antibacterial and intelligent properties to the film. When applied to preservation of chilled fish/chicken, the films were active as they delayed microbial growth and minimised oxidative rancidity. Samples packed in neat films had a shelf life of 3 days while those in active films spoiled after 12 days. The film also showed visible colour change from red to yellow on spoilage and this corroborated with the increase in pH, TVBN and microbial counts of the spoiled samples. Therefore, ALE incorporated PVA-gelatin films being both active and intelligent could be used for packaging of flesh foods.

Smartphone based meat freshness detection

In this work, a freshness colorimetric sensor has been integrated with pork meat packages. The sensor tracks rising CO2 levels in the package associated with meat spoilage, as CO2 levels increase with bacterial population. The color of the sensor changes depending on the quantity of bacteria present, therefore it can be correlated with the freshness of meat, in this case pork loin. Detection is achieved by a simple photograph using a smartphone, and analyzing the grey scale from the RGB space color with a custom made app. Only 2 μL of the cocktail (all components are nontoxic) is needed to prepare the sensor, which have been integrated inside meat packages using a variety of support materials prior to sealing. The Smartphone measurements have been validated using a reference method (Checkpoint Analyzer) and the results suggest it can provide the basis for a quick test of the quality of the packaged pork.

Examination system of chicken meat quality based on hyperspectral imaging

The freshness of the chicken meat will be degraded due to microbiological and chemical processes and will affect the quality of the chicken’s meat. Measurements of freshness were done by a laboratory test that usually destructively and takes a long time. In this study, a VNIR imaging system was built with a wavelength range of 400-1000 nm to determine the freshness of broiler chicken meat. The freshness of the chicken meat was analyzed by using the organoleptic and pH measurement approach. Classification using Random Forest (RF) modeling has been developed to predict the freshness of chicken meat. The freshness of chicken meat was evaluated by using the correction value of 85.5%. The Partial Least Square Regression (PLSR) algorithm was successfully used to determine the pH. The pH measurement system for fresh chicken meat was evaluated using a correlation coefficient of 0.80 and RMSE 0.16. Meanwhile, for the spoiled chicken meat, pH was measured using a correlation coefficient of 0.84 and RMSE of 0.18. Both classification and regression methods indicate that this measurement system is adequate for predicting the quality of chicken meat.

A simple paper-based color change label using plant extracts for Ammonia gas detection

Paper and plant extracts are materials that are cheap and easy to find everywhere, have great potential to be used as a portable, low-cost and biodegradable label for the application of chemical compounds detection. In this paper, we have explored potential methods for the label to detect ammonia gas, an indicator of meat spoilage, with the colorimetric principle. By immersing paper with plant extracts that are sensitive to ammonia, in this case, is anthocyanin from Ruellia simplex flower extract, the detection of ammonia at various concentrations can be achieved. Ammonia concentration used is 0; 0.005%; 0.025%; 0.1%, 0.25% and 0.5%. Color change images on the label when detection is scanned by a flatbed scanner. ImageJ software is used to quantify the color changes. Ammonia detection at various concentrations results in a color change from red to yellow on the paper label. Paper-based labels with discoloration that can be captured visually by the consumer’s eyes are considered as promising approaches to determine the freshness of meat.

A Ultra High Frequency (UHF) RFID Antenna Design for Food Quality and Safety

In this proposed review paper an antenna design for Ultra High Frequency Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is presented. We discuss various applications of RFID antenna: meat freshness monitoring application, RFID card, RFID bracelets, in food containers for catering business and methods to measure dielectric properties on agri food materials. Modeling and simulation results are also presented.

Correlation Analysis between AK1 mRNA Expression and Inosine Monophosphate Deposition in Jingyuan Chickens.

Simple SummaryChina is rich in livestock and poultry resources, but the development of animal husbandry in different regions is uneven, and excellent livestock and poultry resources have to be developed. Jingyuan chicken is a national-level protected breed of livestock and poultry and a genetically protected breed in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. It is rich in amino acids and fatty acids, with a high nutritional value. It is the first choice of “green nutrition and health care” in chicken food. Meat flavor is the main factor affecting meat quality. Meat flavor is characterized by umami and aroma properties. Inosine acid (inosincacid, inosinemonphosphate, IMP) has the greatest influence on meat flavor and is an important indicator of the freshness of meat. The purpose of this study was to screen out differentially expressed genes related to IMP content in different parts of the Ningxia local breed of Jingyuan chicken on the basis of transcriptome sequencing, and select adenylate kinase 1 (AK1) for quantitative fluorescence verification and Pearson correlation analysis. These findings provide a theoretical basis for further discovery and screening of IMP-specific deposition regulation mechanisms, as well as scientific basis for the development and utilization of local varieties and the development of new approaches to molecular breeding.In this study, we examined correlations between the deposition of inosine monophosphate (IMP) and mRNA expression of the adenylate kinase 1 (AK1) gene in Jingyuan chicken. The IMP content was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. Transcriptome sequencing was used to screen the differentially expressed gene AK1 and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to determine the expression level of AK1 mRNA associated with IMP synthesis. IMP and inosine content in the breast muscles of both Jingyuan cocks and hens was found to be significantly higher than that in the leg muscles. Similarly, the expression of AK1 mRNA in the breast muscles of cocks and hens was significantly higher than that in the leg muscles. Moreover, AK1 mRNA expression in cock breast muscles was negatively correlated with IMP content, whereas its expression in cock leg muscles was positively correlated with IMP content. In contrast, the expression of AK1 mRNA in hen breast and leg muscles was significantly positively correlated with IMP content. These findings provide a scientific basis for enhancing the meat flavor of Jingyuan chicken and promoting the development and utilization of local variety resources, as well as constituting a basis for screening IMP-regulated genes. Our study will advance our current understanding of AK1 function.

A data-driven meat freshness monitoring and evaluation method using rapid centroid estimation and hidden Markov models

The food industry needs a fast and stable method to monitor and evaluate the freshness of meat products. This paper proposes the use of a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) sensor-based electronic nose with a data-driven approach, hidden Markov models (HMMs), to detect meat spoilage. The data-driven approach we proposed include: (i) A training algorithm using segmental rapid centroid estimation (RCE) to increase the overall stability of the HMM optimisation algorithm; (ii) A monitoring algorithm using a single HMM trained only by fresh samples to track the change of meat freshness in real-time when the storage condition is not specified; (iii) An HMM-based decoding algorithm to cluster the freshness level when the whole life-span data of meat stored in a specific storage condition is available. Then, HMM for each freshness level is trained and applied in parallel as freshness evaluation models to classify the tested meat samples. In freshness monitoring, case studies on fish, beef and chicken demonstrate the effectiveness and potential of this method. In freshness evaluation, we observed sensitivity and specificity of 96.32% ± 2.83% and 99.07% ± 0.69%, 99.09% ± 2.40% and 99.82% ± 0.48%, as well as, 99.35% ± 0.27% and 98.31% ± 0.71% respectively for fish, beef and chicken, which warrants further investigation.

Carbon Dots and a CdTe Quantum Dot Hybrid-Based Fluorometric Probe for Spermine Detection

Spermine is an indicator of the meat freshness, and thus, developing efficient approaches with low cost for spermine detection is highly desirable. Here, we report a fluorometric probe for the sens...

Rapid assessment of pork freshness using miniaturized NIR spectroscopy

The freshness of meat is an important quality attribute. Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS), a classical marker of lipid oxidation, is used as an indicator of freshness in meat. This study investigated the application of a miniaturized and portable Near Infrared (NIR) spectroscopy (1100–2200 nm) for rapid monitoring of TBARS in minced pork stored at 4 °C for 0, 2, 4 and 8 days. NIR data was pre-treated with standard normal variate (SNV), multiplicative scatter correction (MSC), and Savitzky Golay first derivative (FD). Models developed, based on full wavelengths, using partial least square regression (PLSR) showed good results in terms of their coefficients of determination (R2). The optimized result was obtained from MSC with R2 of 0.844 and RMSE of 0.099 mg MDA/kg meat in the prediction. To build a simpler model, optimal wavelengths were selected by successive projection algorithm (SPA) and weighted regression coefficients (RC) and used to develop four new models based on PLSR and MLR algorithms (SPA-PLSR, SPA-MLR, RC-PLSR, RC-MLR). The simplified model (RC-PLSR) revealed good results with R2p of 0.830 and RMSE of 0.068 mg MDA /kg meat. The promising result in this study indicated the potential of using a miniaturized NIR spectroscopy as a good handheld tool for rapid monitoring of TBARS values for assessment of freshness in minced pork.

Highly selective ppb-level H2S sensor for spendable detection of exhaled biomarker and pork freshness at low temperature: Mesoporous SnO2 hierarchical architectures derived from waste scallion root

Herein, we firstly reported a waste scallion root biotemplate strategy to massively fabricate mesoporous SnO2 hierarchical architectures, which can realize precise detection of ppb-level H2S gas in highly humid atmosphere (RH = 85%). The hierarchical skeleton is made up of the crosslinked nanoparticles of about 13 nm with a layer of nanospheres uniformly loaded on the surface of small-sized particles. Such specially structural characteristic can ensure that SnO2 sensing materials possess large specific surface area and good mesoporous connectivity, enhancing the response and selectivity towards trace H2S in a wide range of 0.5–1000 ppb at low working temperature of 92 °C. Especially, detection limit of 0.5 ppb is the lowest among all reported SnO2-based H2S sensors. Meanwhile, we also monitored the change of trace H2S gas concentration in exhaled breath of healthy human, the decay process of fresh pork in 72 h and the simulated environment of halitosis under high humidity, and the sensor exhibited satisfactory results. Therefore, the mesoporous SnO2 hierarchical structure could be used as a spendable sensing material of detecting ppb-level H2S for the applications in meat freshness monitoring and halitosis diagnosis.

Визначення ступеня свіжості м’яса равликів за вмістом ферменту редуктази

To search and use of alternative sources of animal protein is an urgent problem in Ukraine. In this aspect, snail meat is interesting, due to its nutritional value. Meat contains protein, essential vitamins and amino acids for humans, and does not contain cholesterol and unhealthy fats. There is no a comprehensive system for monitoring the safety and quality of snail meat in the system of state control of Ukraine for compliance with food legislation. Consequently, the question of determination of its safety, including and the degree of freshness is an urgent task. The method of determination of the level of freshness of snail meat, according to the content of the enzyme reductase with 0,1 % aqueous solution of methylene blue, was developed. This authors` approach is proposed both a qualitative and quantitative method to determine the degree of freshness of snail meat, according to other methods its safety determination. It has an advantage against existing methods because the safety of snail meat could be determine in different technological processing at different storage times by qualitative indicators of bacterial contamination of meat, depending on the level of freshness. According to the results of this method, it is able to obtain quantitative indicators of bacterial contamination of freshness of snail meat with the aim to determine its level. It was carried out that in fresh snail meat there is a discoloration in the meat extract after thermostating during 2,5 hours or it does not discolor (there is a stable blue color) – up to 103 CFU/g. In snail meat of dubious freshness, the meat extract is discolored in period from 40 minutes up to 2,5 h (104-105 CFU/g); in stale snail meat, discoloration of the meat extract is achieved in 20–40 minutes (106 CFU/g and more). The developed method of determination the freshness of snail meat according to the content of the enzyme reductase with 0,1% aqueous solution of methylene blue can be used in production laboratories at producing capacity for production, processing, sale and storage of snail meat, as well as in state laboratories of the State Food and Consumer Services of Ukraine. In addition, obtained data could make the basis for the development of normative documents in the system of state control over the safety of snail meat in Ukraine.

Colorimetric indicators for volatile amines based on succinic anhydride (SAh)-grafted poly (lactic acid) (PLA).

Smart materials that can undergo changes in color upon the detection of amines have the potential to provide information on the freshness of fish and meat. To engineer a material that undergoes a change in color upon exposure to biogenic amines, succinic anhydride functional groups - which are deprotonated in the presence of amines - are grafted onto a biopolymer poly(lactic acid) backbone. This material is then blended with a pH sensitive dye, yielding a material that shows a highly specific response to amines. In this system, the reaction between SAh and amines protonates the dye and leads to an irreversible change in color in the indicators. The resulting change in color was recorded and monitored with standardized photos and UV-Vis spectroscopy. Initially, indicators of different degrees of SAh (from 5 wt% to 45 wt%) grafted onto PLA were exposed to the vapours from a 400 ppm amine solution. The samples with higher degrees of grafting underwent the most visible changes in color. A more detailed study of the effect of temperature and amine concentration was performed on indicators with 30 wt% SAh. The limits of detection, half-time and kinetics of the response are also presented. Higher temperatures and concentrations were found to increase the degree of the color change while decreasing the half-time of the response of the indicators. This work shows potential opportunities for the development of simple real-time amine indicators.