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Objective: Beef of Jeju black cattle (JBC) is considered as a healthy meat type due to its significantly higher unsaturated fatty acids (UFA). Lipid (e.g., UFA) is highly susceptible to oxidizing agents, which results in the quality deterioration and economic value loss of meat products. Therefore, development and application of novel preservative techniques is necessary to improve the shelf-life stability of high-UFA beef. The objective of this study was to assess the applicability of chitosan-based coatings in preservation of JBC beef., Methods: Different coating solutions: 2% chitosan alone, and 2% chitosan containing 0.1% or 0.3% gallic acid were prepared to investigate their applicability in preservation of fresh beef during storage. Jeju black cattle beef (2-cm thick steaks) were non-coated (control) or coated with the above coating solutions, placed on trays, over-wrapped with plastic film and stored at 4°C. The microbiological indices, color, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVBN) and lipid oxidation of the beef were investigated after 1, 10, and 21 days of storage., Results: Coating with 2% chitosan alone reduced the spoilage bacteria count, TVBN and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances levels in the beef compared with control during storage (p<0.05). Noticeably, coating with 2% chitosan containing 0.1% or 0.3% gallic acid was more effective on retardation of spoilage bacteria growth, lipid oxidation and discoloration in the beef compared to the chitosan coating alone over the storage period (21 days) (p<0.05)., Conclusion: Taken together, the combined chitosan and gallic acid coating could be used as a bio-preservative technique in the meat industry.

Objective: For decades, LYD ([Landrace×Yorkshire] ♀×Duroc ♂) pigs are the most commonly-used commercial breed for meat production in Korea. Recently, due to the increasing demand for premium pork, the National Institute of Animal Science (Korea) has synthesized a novel pig breed named Woori Heukdon (WHD). This study aimed at comparing the carcass traits, meat yield and quality characteristics between the LYD and WHD pigs under identical rearing condition., Methods: The WHD and LYD pigs (n = 15 each) were reared under identical conditions and fed the same commercial diet until reaching recommended market weight (100 to 120 kg). After slaughter, the carcasses were evaluated for traits and meat yield, and the meat quality was assessed on shoulder butt and belly cuts., Results: Although no significant differences (p>0.05) occurred in slaughter weight between two pig types, WHD had a lower meat yield (by about 6 kg corresponding to approximately 7%) compared to the LYD pigs (p<0.05). The WHD had a higher fat content (by 4.26% and 13.52% in the shoulder butt and belly, respectively) compared to those of LYD pigs (p<0.05). The WHD meat showed a lower cooking loss and higher a* (redness) value (p<0.05). The WHD belly had a significantly (p<0.05) higher oleic acid content and concentrations of nonanal, octanal and decanal associated with fatty odor while, the LYD meat had a higher number of pyrazines associated with roasty odor. Regarding sensory quality, higher flavor, juiciness, and acceptability higher scores were given for the WHD meat than for the LYD meat (p<0.05)., Conclusion: Under identical rearing conditions the WHD exhibited a better meat quality and sensory properties. However, the use of this diet resulted in a high fat level that may be associated with high trimming loss for the WHD.

Objective: For improving meat quality especially tenderness, male cattle are usually castrated to removes both the testicles. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect castration method (half- and complete-castration) on meat yield and quality characteristics of Hanwoo male cattle., Methods: Thirty-two similar age (5.9 months) Hanwoo male calves were divided into: half-castration (HC) and complete-castration (CC) groups (n = 16 per group). At 7 months of age, all the animals were castrated in which the HC calves had only one testicle surgically removed while, the CC calves had both testicles surgically removed. The castrated animals were reared under identical conditions until 25 months of age. After slaughter, the carcasses were evaluated for carcass traits and meat yield of primal cuts. For examination of the castration effect on meat quality, L. lumborum and semimembranosus muscles were used. The meat samples were analyzed for chemical composition, color, pH, shear force and water holding capacity, fatty acids, metabolites and volatile aroma compounds., Results: The HC group showed higher meat yields of all primal cuts (p<0.05). As a result, the total meat yield was higher by approximately 44 kg in the HC group (303.32 kg, corresponding to 67.88%) compared to the CC group (259.30 kg, corresponding to 62.11%) (p<0.05). In terms of meat quality, the HC resulted in two times greater fat content in both muscles examined compared to intact males. More importantly, the shear force values did not differ between HC and CC groups for L. lumborum muscles (p>0.05). The meat from HC animals exhibited higher amount of free amino acids associated with sweetness (p<0.05). Furthermore, the castration method only exhibited a negligible effect on metabolites and volatile aroma compounds in the cooked meat., Conclusion: Half-castration emerged as an alternative practice to be used for increasing the yield and tenderness of male cattle meat.

Objective: In most retail centers, primal pork cuts for sale are usually prepared into retail-ready slices and overwrapped with air-permeable plastic film. Also, meat of Korean native black pig (KNP) is reputed for its superior quality, however, its shelf life during retail display has not been studied. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate shelf life of prepackaged retail-ready KNP belly and shoulder butt slices during refrigerated display., Methods: Bellies and shoulder butt obtained at 24 h post-mortem from finishing KNP were used. Each belly or shoulder butt was manually cut into 1.5 cm-thick slices. The slices in each cut type were randomly taken and placed on white foam tray (2 slices/tray) overwrapped with polyvinyl chloride film. The retail-ready packages were then placed in a retail display cabinet at 4°C. Shelf life and sensory quality of the samples were evaluated on day 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 of display., Results: The shoulder butt reached the upper limit (20 mg/100 g) of volatile basic nitrogen for fresh meat after 9 days while, the belly remained within this limit throughout the display time (15 days). Both the cuts reached a thiobarbituric acid reactive substances level of above 0.5 mg malondialdehyde/kg after 9 days. The a* (redness) values remained unchanged during first 9 days in both cuts (p>0.05). After 9 days, off-flavor was not found in either cut, but higher off-flavor intensity was found in shoulder butt after 12 days. The shoulder butt was unacceptable for overall eating quality after 12 days while, belly still was acceptable after 12 days., Conclusion: The belly showed a longer shelf life compared to the shoulder butt, and a shelf life of 9 and 12 days is recommended for the prepackaged retail-ready KNP shoulder butt and belly slices, respectively.

Objective: Pork belly is considered as the most commercially important and preferable primal cut by consumers worldwide. Thus, this study was conducted to determine the effects of fat levels on the meat quality characteristics of pork bellies., Methods: Seventy-eight growing-finishing pigs collected from different commercial pig farms were slaughtered and used in the present study. After slaughter 24 h, bellies were fabricated according to the Korean Pork Cutting Specification, and immediately sampled for analysis of their fat content. Based on the fat levels, the bellies were segregated into three different groups: low fat (LF, fat ≤20%, n = 15), medium fat (MF, fat 21% to 30%, n = 30), and high fat (HF, fat ≥31%, n = 33). The bellies were then analyzed for meat quality traits, fatty acids, flavor compounds and eating quality properties., Results: The HF group had lower moisture and cooking loss levels compared to the other groups (p<0.05). The LF group presented higher proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acids compared to the other groups (p<0.05). The LF group showed higher amounts of the Maillard reaction-derived flavor compounds (e.g., 2,5-dimethyl pyrazine, 2-ethyl-3,5-dimethyl, and 4-methylthiazole) associated with meaty and roasty flavors whereas, the HF group showed higher amounts of oleic acid- derived compounds (e.g., nonanal and octanal) associated with the fatty and oily flavors. Interestingly, significantly higher scores for all the eating quality attributes (flavor, juiciness, tenderness, and overall acceptance) were found in the HF group compared to those in the LF or MF group (p<0.05)., Conclusion: The high-fat bellies (fat ≥31%) had a better technological quality and eating quality compared to the low-fat bellies (fat ≤20%). Thus, increasing the fat content may improve the technological quality and eating quality traits of pork bellies, however, this increase may also result in more trimmed loss due to excessively deposited body fat.