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The objective of this study was to evaluate and improve the prediction models of the AutoFOM III and FOM II apparatuses (Frontmatec Group, Denmark) used to estimate the lean meat percentage (LMP) of pig carcasses in Belgium, since the current models underestimate the pig carcasses with a LMP higher than 66 %. Non-linearity in the backfat thickness (BT) parameters was identified as the main reason for this bias in prediction. Box-Cox transformation of the parameters R2P10, R2P8 and R2P4 from AutoFOM III allowed to lower the root mean squared error of prediction (RMSEP) of the model from 1.72 to 1.59, while simultaneously removing the bias of the high LMP carcasses. For the FOM II apparatus, there was no effect of the transformation of the only BT parameter on the RMSEP (2.15 before and 2.14 after transformation) and on the bias. Next to the transformation, it was investigated whether adding other information about the carcasses could also improve the RMSEP of the prediction models. The parameters hot carcass weight, carcass length, ham width, ham angle and sex were added to the original models without transformation and lowered the RMSEP from AutoFOM III and FOM II to 1.55 and 1.83 respectively. Finally, the best results were found by combining the Box-Cox transformation and adding other carcass parameters, resulting in RMSEP values of 1.50 and 1.82 for AutoFOM III and FOM II respectively, on top of the removal of the high LMP bias. IMPLICATIONS: Accurate estimation of the lean meat percentage of pig carcasses is of great economic importance for the pig production and slaughtering sector, so every opportunity to increase precision should be seized. This study shows that the current linear prediction models can be improved by taking into account non-linearity, depending on the device. An even larger increase in precision can be achieved by adding carcass information that is currently not measured or not linked to the classification device but that is partly already available at the slaughterline., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Meat processing has a long history and involves a wide and ever-increasing range of chemical and physical processes, resulting in a heterogeneous food category with a wide variability in nutritional value. Despite the known benefits of meat consumption, observational epidemiological studies have shown associations between consumption of red and processed meat - but not white meat - and several non-communicable diseases, with higher relative risks for processed meat compared to unprocessed red meat. This has led global and regional nutrition and health organisations to recommend reducing consumption of unprocessed red meat and avoiding processed meat. A plethora of potentially implicated hazardous compounds present in meat or formed during processing or gastrointestinal digestion have been reported in the literature. However, our mechanistic understanding of the impact of meat consumption on human health is still very incomplete and is complicated by the simultaneous occurrence of multiple hazards and interactions with other food compounds and host factors. This narrative review briefly discusses hazards, risks and their assessment in the context of dietary guidelines. It is argued that more mechanistic studies of the interactive effects of meat products with other foods and food compounds in different dietary contexts are needed to refine and increase the evidence base for dietary guidelines. Importantly, the great diversity in the composition and degree of processing of processed meats should be better understood in terms of their impact on human health in order to develop a more nuanced approach to dietary guidelines for this food category., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of aging period (0, 3, 6 or 9 weeks), aging temperature (2 versus 6 °C at 75% relative humidity, experiment 1) and relative humidity (70 versus 90% at 2 °C, experiment 2) on the sensory traits, oxidative stability and proteolysis of Belgian Blue beef. For each experiment, eight loins (M. longissimus thoracis et lumborum) from four animals (left and right side) were assigned to one of the two treatments (n = 4). Results showed no further tenderization after three weeks of aging, whereas metmyoglobin formation and lipid oxidation increased until nine weeks of aging (P < 0.05). During the nine weeks of aging, atypical flavor, odor and flavor intensity was affected (P < 0.05). This was accompanied by an increase of small peptides and other nitrogenous compounds. Aging temperature and relative humidity had only a very limited effect on the quality traits., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Performance (from 10 weeks until slaughter), carcass and meat quality, and effectiveness of immunocastration was compared in crossbred offspring of stress positive (BP+) and negative (BP-) Belgian Piétrain and Canadian Duroc (CD) given the second vaccination of Improvac® at different times (4, 6, 8 weeks before slaughter). CD offspring had a significantly higher daily gain (DG) and feed intake (DFI), and lower predicted lean meat percentage (LMP) and dressing yield compared to BP+ and BP-, while feed conversion ratio (FCR) did not differ. CD offspring had significantly lower drip loss and higher pH i, intramuscular fat content than BP+ and BP- (except for pH i ). No significant effect of vaccination time on DG nor FCR was observed. Predicted LMP tended to increase as time-post injection decreased, while meat quality was minor affected. Earlier vaccination had no effect on the effectiveness of immunocastration based on testosterone and GnRH-binding., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study was performed to investigate meat quality traits of loin and ham of commercial pigs as affected by genetic differences in carcass and growth traits of the parent lines. Three hybrid sow lines were crossbred with two types of Belgian Piétrain with different breeding goals (BP growth and BP carcass emphasizing daily growth and carcass conformation, respectively). Pig live performance and carcass quality of 270 offspring were measured, and meat quality of the loin and (cooked) ham was evaluated on 216 animals. Despite the differences in pig live performance and carcass quality for sow line, little effect on meat quality was observed. Only a lower (p < 0.05) intramuscular fat content of ham and a tendency (p < 0.1) toward lower cooking yield was observed in offspring of the sow line with the highest versus the lowest carcass lean content. Loin traits were only weakly associated with fresh and cooked ham quality traits., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The assessment of the actual contribution of red or processed meat to increasing the risk of suffering cardiovascular diseases (CVD) requires identification of specific harmful components and their underlying pathological mechanisms. In regards to CVD, meat lipids and their oxidation products have been recurrently studied due to their implications on lipid metabolism, hypercholesterolemia, obesity, and risk of suffering vascular events such as stroke. The impact of excess NaCl intake on increasing blood pressure is well-established and processed meat products have been recognized as a major contributor to dietary sodium in developed countries. Recent evidence has also suggested carnitine from red meat, as a precursor for trimethylamine-N-oxide, which has been shown to cause atherosclerosis, may increase the risk of suffering CVD in experimental animals. The present review aims to provide an updated overview, including evidence, controversies and unresolved questions on both the epidemiology and mechanisms relating red and processed meat consumption to CVD., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study was designed to compare performance, carcass and meat quality of crossbred of a hybrid sow x three sire lines, i.e. stress positive Belgian Piétrain (BP), stress negative French Piétrain (FP) and Canadian Duroc (CD). BP offspring had a significantly higher carcass yield (p < .001) and lean meat content (p < .001) in comparison with FP, which was higher than CD. BP offspring had significantly lower pH (p < .05), water-holding capacity (WHC) (p < .001) and intramuscular fat (IMF) (p < .001) content in the loin compared to FP and CD, but these meat quality parameters, with the exception of pH, were superior for CD as compared to FP. In accordance with loin quality, pH i , pH u , WHC and IMF of BP were significantly lower (p < .05) compared to CD in the fresh and cooked ham. Most often, FP offspring could not be differentiated from the other offspring, with the exception of cooking loss of the cooked ham. Trained and consumer taste panels resulted in no significant differences (p > .1) in sensory attributes, however, consumers preffered CD based on ranking., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None of the authors has a personal or financial conflict of interest with this experiment., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The bulk optical properties (BOP) of two bovine muscles were studied in the 500nm to 1850nm wavelength range. Over a two-week period of wet aging, the BOP of the biceps femoris (BF) and longissimus lumborum (LL) were determined and related to moisture content, tenderness and cooking loss. The absorption by myoglobin and reduced scattering coefficient were higher in the BF compared to the LL. The scattering anisotropy factor was relatively high (>0.95 for LL), representing dominant forward scattering. Two-toning effects in the BF could be attributed to significant scattering differences, as no differences in absorption properties were observed. During wet aging, the anisotropy factor decreased, while tenderness increased. It was hypothesized that this might be related to proteolysis of cytoskeletal proteins. The results show the potential use of BOP to monitor tenderization and the cause of color differences in beef muscles. Moreover, this information could be used to develop and optimize optical sensors for non-destructive meat quality monitoring., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The effects of sodium nitrite and ascorbate on lipid and protein oxidation were studied during the ripening process of dry fermented sausages. Samples were taken at day 0, 2, 8, 14, 21 and 28 of ripening to assess lipid (malondialdehyde) and protein (carbonyls and sulfhydryl groups) oxidation. Sodium ascorbate and nitrite were separately able to reduce the formation of malondialdehyde. Their combined addition resulted in higher amounts of carbonyl compounds compared to their separate addition or the treatment without any of both compounds. Moreover, sodium nitrite limited the formation of γ-glutamic semialdehyde whereas sodium ascorbate showed a pro-oxidant effect. A loss of thiol groups was observed during ripening, which was not affected by the use of sodium ascorbate nor sodium nitrite. In conclusion, sodium nitrite and ascorbate affected protein and lipid oxidation in different manners. The possible pro-oxidant effect of their combined addition on carbonyl formation might influence the technological and sensory properties of these products., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Fresh and processed meats provide high biological value proteins and important micronutrients. On the other hand, a working group of IARC recently classified processed meat as 'carcinogenic to humans' and red meat as 'probably carcinogenic to humans' for colorectal cancer, appealing to critically consider the future role of meat in a healthy diet. This manuscript first evaluates the contribution of meat consumption to the supply of important micronutrients in the human food chain, and the extent to which this can be improved by primary production strategies, and impacts on human health. Secondly, the IARC hazard analysis of the carcinogenicity of red and processed meat consumption is discussed, arguing that having more insight in the mechanisms of the association offers opportunities for mitigation. It is advocated that the benefits and risks associated with red and processed meat consumption should not necessarily cause dilemmas, if these meats are consumed in moderate amounts as part of balanced diets., (Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

The effect of hydrogen peroxide-induced protein oxidation and pH (4.8 and 5.2) on meat proteolysis was investigated in a meat model system for dry fermented sausages. In oxidised samples, increased protein carbonyl contents and decreased thiol concentrations were found. The initial concentration of protein carbonyls was significantly lower in oxidised samples at pH4.8 than in ones at pH5.2, but after ten days comparable levels were reached. The inhibition of proteolysis by the addition of a protease inhibitor cocktail did not influence protein oxidation. Yet, proteolysis was negatively affected by low pH values as well as by oxidation, resulting in a reduced release of amino acids during ripening., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This paper is based on a workshop held in Oslo, Norway in November 2013, in which experts discussed how to reach consensus on the healthiness of red and processed meat. Recent nutritional recommendations include reducing intake of red and processed meat to reduce cancer risk, in particular colorectal cancer (CRC). Epidemiological and mechanistic data on associations between red and processed meat intake and CRC are inconsistent and underlying mechanisms are unclear. There is a need for further studies on differences between white and red meat, between processed and whole red meat and between different types of processed meats, as potential health risks may not be the same for all products. Better biomarkers of meat intake and of cancer occurrence and updated food composition databases are required for future studies. Modifying meat composition via animal feeding and breeding, improving meat processing by alternative methods such as adding phytochemicals and improving our diets in general are strategies that need to be followed up., (Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

The supply of tender beef is an important challenge for the beef industry. Knowledge about the profile of consumers who are more optimistic or more accurate in their tenderness evaluations is important for product development and beef marketing purposes. Central location tests of beef steaks were performed in Norway and Belgium (n=218). Instrumental and sensorial tenderness of three muscles from Belgian Blue and Norwegian Red cattle was reported. Consumers who are optimistically evaluating tenderness were found to be more often male, less food neophobic, more positive towards beef healthiness, and showed fewer concerns about beef safety. No clear profile emerged for consumers who assessed tenderness similar to shear force measurements, which suggests that tenderness is mainly evaluated subjectively. The results imply a window of opportunities in tenderness improvements, and allow targeting a market segment which is less critical towards beef tenderness., (© 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study evaluates 1) carcass quality, meat quality and palatability for barrows, immunocastrates and boars and 2) the effect of chicory supplemented feed during 10 days before slaughter on boar meat quality. At comparable carcass weights, estimated carcass lean meat percentage was higher in immunocastrates and boars than in barrows. Muscle thickness was higher for immunocastrates and barrows compared to boars, while fat thickness was lowest for immunocastrates and boars. Barrows, immunocastrates and boars differed in water holding capacity and boar taint. Home consumer panels were conducted to evaluate palatability. The consumers did detect differences in tenderness and juiciness, but not for boar taint. The chicory feed supplemented in boar feed decreased skatole concentration in backfat, without largely influencing meat quality or palatability. Not only boar taint, but also carcass and meat quality should be considered when evaluating alternatives for surgical castration., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of muscle, inner and outer Musculus biceps femoris (IBF and OBF respectively) and Musculus longissimus dorsi (LD), on the post-mortem rate of pH and temperature fall, and the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) during simulated retail display. At day 0 of display (2 days post-mortem), the CAT and GSH-Px activities were lower in IBF than in OBF and LD (P<0.001), and the SOD activity was lower in OBF compared to IBF and LD (P<0.001). At day 10 of display, SOD and CAT activities had decreased in all three muscles compared to day 0 (P<0.001), whereas the GSH-Px activity did increase with time of display. Across muscles, there were significant relationships between temperature fall, colour, lipid and colour stability and antioxidant enzyme activities., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The effect of dog rose (Rosa canina L.; RC), rich in polyphenols and ascorbic acid, on lipid and protein oxidation, colour stability and texture of frankfurters was investigated. Four treatments were prepared: with 5 or 30 g/kg RC extract and without sodium ascorbate and sodium nitrite (5RC and 30RC, respectively), a positive control (with sodium ascorbate and sodium nitrite; PC) and a negative control (without sodium ascorbate, sodium nitrite or RC extract; NC). Hexanal values were much higher throughout storage in NC compared to RC and PC frankfurters (P<0.001). The RC extracts protected against protein oxidation, but not as efficiently as PC (P<0.05). In the RC treated frankfurters, lower a* values were measured compared to PC due to the lack of sodium nitrite. In conclusion, dog rose can act as a natural antioxidant in frankfurters, but not as full replacer for sodium nitrite., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The effect of sodium ascorbate (SA; 500, 750, 1000 mg/kg) and sodium nitrite (SN; 40, 80, 120 mg/kg) doses on the shelf-life stability of liver pâtés was investigated in a full factorial design. Clear dose-dependent responses of the added SN or SA were found for the concentrations of nitrite, ascorbic acid and dehydroascorbic acid in the raw batters and in the cooked pâtés before and after 48 h of chilled display. Decreasing the SN dose to 80 mg/kg had no negative impact on the colour stability (a* value) and lipid oxidation (TBARS), and no additional antioxidant effect of SA was noticed. Lowering SN to 40 mg/kg resulted in proper colour formation, but the colour stability was inferior and lipid oxidation increased. Yet, increasing the amount of SA, at this low SN dose, resulted in lower TBARS values. Decreasing the SN dose to 80 or 40 mg/kg had no distinct effect on protein oxidation, which was however only measured by carbonyl content., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The oxidative stability of liver pâté was investigated in relation to different doses of rosemary extract (RE) and sodium nitrite. Colour stability, lipid oxidation (TBARS) and concentrations of ascorbic acid, α-tocopherol, carnosic acid and nitrite were measured on the batters before cooking and on the cooked liver pâté before and after exposure to light and air for 48 h at 4°C. Results showed that the use of RE significantly reduced lipid oxidation, whereas it had no effect on colour stability. Ascorbic acid and nitrite concentrations were significantly higher and lower respectively when RE was added. RE dose-dependently increased the concentration of carnosic acid. Lower sodium nitrite doses resulted in significantly lower nitrite concentrations and slightly lower TBARS values. It was concluded that in liver pâté sodium nitrite levels may be lowered to 80 mg/kg without negatively affecting colour and lipid stability and that the use of RE may help in maintaining lipid stability., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

European consumers increasingly attach value to process characteristics of food. Although beef technologies are hardly communicated to consumers, providing consumer-oriented information about technology application might increase perceived transparency and consumer acceptance. This study investigates how information about beef technologies influences consumer expectations and liking of beef. Beef consumers in Belgium (n = 108) and Norway (n = 110) participated in an information experiment combined with sensory testing in which each consumer tasted three beef muscles treated with different technologies: unprocessed tenderloin M. Psoas major, muscle profiled M. Infraspinatus, and marinated (by injection) M. Semitendinosus. The findings indicate that detailed information about beef technologies can enhance consumers' expectations and liking of beef. However, this effect differs between countries and beef technologies. Information becomes either less relevant when the product is actually tasted, as indicated by the findings in Norway, or more relevant when information is confirmed by own experience during tasting, as indicated by the findings in Belgium., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

It has been suggested that skatole, one of the main compounds responsible for boar taint, can be lowered by keeping pigs clean, as skatole can be absorbed through skin and/or lungs (Hansen, Larsen, Jensen, HansenMoller & Bartongade, 1994). With this experiment, we further investigated this hypothesis by comparing extremely clean with extremely dirty animals with regard to the occurrence of boar taint. One group of boars was washed daily and pens were mucked on and littered down daily (CLEAN), a second group of boars was rubbed with faeces daily (DIRTY) and a third group of boars was kept in control conditions (CONTROL). The treatment was performed during the last four weeks before slaughter. According to the standardised consumer panel evaluations, boars subjected to extra soiling had a higher concentration of boar taint than boars that were kept extra clean. In contrast, expert panels judged general meat flavour to be inferior in CLEAN than CONTROL pigs. The home consumer panel, the hot iron method, and laboratory analyses, i.e., the presence of indole, skatole and androstenone in fat and serum, all showed no significant differences. So no clear indications towards skatole reduction by improving cleanliness of pigs were found., (Copyright © 2010 The American Meat Science Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

One of the 10 universal guidelines for healthy nutrition in a report of the World Cancer Research Fund released at the end of 2007 is to "limit intake of red meat and avoid processed meat", as a result of the "convincing evidence" for an association with an increased risk of colorectal cancer development. In the present paper, the scientific evidence for the association between processed meats intake and colorectal cancer development is explored and the most probable hypothesis on the mechanism underlying this relationship formulated. It seems that the present state of knowledge is not well understood but relates to a combination of haem iron, oxidative stress, formation of N-nitroso compounds and related residues in the digestive tract as the causal factors. Although criticisms of the inaccurate definition of processed meats and the insufficient accounting for the large variability in composition of meat products have been expressed, it is clear that the report urges proper action by the meat and nutrition research community and the meat industry. Research items that in our view should be addressed are discussed. They include: (1) evaluating the health risks associated with processed meats intake within the context of the supply of beneficial nutrients and other nutrition associated health risks; (2) definition of the role of nitrites and nitrates in meat processing; (3) investigating the role of red and processed meats on the endogenous formation of N-nitroso compounds in the digestive tract; and (4) developing improved processed meats using new ingredients.

Recently, a new QTN (quantitative trait nucleotide), which is located in the regulatory sequence of the imprinted IGF-II gene was discovered in the pig and is associated with a significant increase in IGF-II mRNA expression in skeletal muscle during postnatal growth. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of the IGF-II paternal allele (Apat and Gpat animals that inherited, respectively, the mutant and wild type paternal allele of interest) on carcass and meat quality traits in Nn and NN RYR1 genotypes. A total of 141 animals were measured, almost equally distributed over the IGF-II and RYR1 genotypes and gender. The Apat allele increased carcass lean meat percentage with approximately 4.5% (P<0.001) as a result of decreased backfat thickness. Average live weight daily gain was not affected, hence average daily lean meat gain was significantly higher for Apat compared to Gpat animals. The IGF-II mutation had no noticeable effect on meat quality in contrast with the RYR1 mutation. No interaction effects of both mutations on meat quality were noticed.

Mutations in IGF-II (insulin-like growth factor-II) and RYR1 (ryanodine receptor-1) increase lean meat content in pigs but with different effects on meat quality. Differences in biochemical and histochemical muscle fibre characteristics between the two mutations can thus be suspected. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the IGF-II mutation (Apat vs. Gpat) on biochemical and histochemical muscle fibre characteristics in relation to the RYR1 genotype (Nn vs. NN). A prenatal effect of the IGF-II mutation could not be excluded but the increased leanness in both mutations was clearly related to postnatal muscle hypertrophy due to an increase in muscle fibre diameter and a higher proliferative capacity in animals carrying the IGF-II mutation. No effect of the IGF-II or RYR1 mutation was found on fibre type composition and metabolic enzyme activities. Interactions between IGF-II and RYR1 genotypes suggest that the mechanism involved in increased leanness due to the impaired RYR1 receptor might influence the underlying mechanisms of the IGF-II mutation.

The effect of a 2% dietary administration to pigs of oxidized linseed oil (targeted level of 150mEq.O(2)/kg oil after heating at 50°C and exposure to air for 3-4 days following addition of 10ppm CuSO(4)), either or not in combination with antioxidants, on the oxidative stability of raw and cooked pork during illuminated chill storage was assessed. The antioxidant treatments were: 40ppm α-tocopheryl acetate, 40ppm rosemary extract, 40ppm rosemary extract+2ppm gallic acid, and 40ppm α-tocopheryl acetate+40ppm rosemary extract. A total of 20ppm of α-tocopheryl acetate (ATA) was added to all diets in order to meet the physiological requirement of the animals. The antioxidant treatments did not exert any effect on colour and protein oxidation. Lipid oxidation was only decreased by dietary ATA when comparing the ATA supplemented groups combined versus a control treatment group for raw but not for cooked meat. This was due to a higher content of α-tocopherol in the meat and subcutaneous fat. The lipid oxidation results suggested a lack of antioxidant effect for the rosemary extract. No evidence for a synergistic effect of the antioxidant combinations was observed.

Three groups of six calves each were fed a milk replacer and a starter concentrate for 15weeks. Calves of the first group received the basal diet containing selenium (Se) and vitamin E at 0.095-0.128mg and 30-33mg per kg of total solids, respectively. Calves of the second group received the basal diet supplemented with Se-enriched yeast to increase dietary Se concentration to 0.50mg/kg. The third group of calves received the latter diet supplemented with vitamin E to increase its concentration to 100mg/kg. There was no effect of diet on growth rate, digestibility of dry matter and Se, chemical composition of meat (M. Longissimus thoracis et lumborum), meat colour and fatty acid profile of meat lipids. The Se supplementation significantly increased Se concentration in muscle from 0.21 to 0.43mg/kg. The activity of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in muscle and liver tissue of Se-supplemented animals was increased by 56% and 67%, respectively, compared to the control. The combined supplementation of vitamin E and Se significantly improved the lipid stability of meat compared to the control diet, but not compared to the Se-supplemented diet. It can be concluded that dietary Se supplementation increases the concentration of Se and the GSH-Px activity in meat, but has limited potential for improving meat oxidative stability.

The aim of this work was to study the influence of different pastures (Intensive ryegrass, Botanically diverse and Leguminosa rich pastures) on the antioxidant status and oxidative stability of meat from lambs that had been exclusively grazing for three months. Lipid, colour and protein oxidation, α-tocopherol content and activity of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (Cat) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px)) were measured in Longisimus thoracis et lumborum muscle samples taken 1 day after slaughter. Pasture type significantly affected protein oxidation and the activity of GSH-Px, but no significant differences were found for the α-tocopherol content, colour and lipid oxidation, and the activities of SOD and Cat. Grazing a Botanically diverse pasture induced significantly higher protein oxidation in meat, as measured by the free thiol and carbonyl contents, compared to a Leguminosa rich or Intensive ryegrass pasture (P<0.05). The GSH-Px activity was significantly higher in meat from lambs on the Leguminosa rich pasture compared to the other pasture groups (P<0.01).

The effect of dietary oil (linseed or soybean oil) and antioxidant treatment (α-tocopheryl acetate (AT; 40ppm) versus a cocktail (AOC; 200ppm): α-tocopheryl acetate+rosemary+citric acid+gallic acid) on colour, lipid and protein oxidation of fresh and processed pork was investigated. No effect of oil source on different parameters of oxidation was seen. No effect of antioxidant treatment on colour stability of fresh longissimus thoracis (LT) or cooked cured ham (CCH) was observed. For both antioxidant treatments, lipid oxidation in fresh LT and CCH was well controlled during display. However, lipid oxidation increased significantly in pre-frozen uncured cooked meat under aerobic conditions. No unambiguous effect of antioxidant treatment on protein oxidation was observed. There seemed to be no clear link between colour, protein and lipid oxidation. At the dose used in this study, no additional or synergistic effects of the extra components of the AOC on the different oxidation parameters was found.