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Ready-to-cook (RTC) foods can significantly improve the cooking experience of busy or unskillful consumers, based on production involving technical combinations of food processing and packaging. Initialized by a market survey of 172 products in Beijing, this systematic review analyzes RTC foods' development status according to ingredients, packaging, and storage conditions to further clarify the scope of RTC foods. The working principles and efficacy of various food processing techniques, such as washing, cutting, marinating, and frying, and packaging design or innovations such as modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) were both summarized in detail, with attention to their ability to extend shelf life, reduce safety risks, and maximize production efficiency in RTC food production. The cutting-edge technologies that may potentially apply in the RTC food processing or packaging sector were compared with current approaches to visualize the direction of future developments. In conclusion, we have observed the specific pattern of RTC food varieties and packaging formats in the Beijing market and revealed the advancements in RTC food technologies that will continue playing a critical role in shaping this growing market, while challenges in scalability, cost-efficiency, and sustainability remain key areas for future research. The data and perspectives presented will articulate the conceptions and existing challenges of RTC food, foster consumer perception and recognition of similar products, and deliver useful guidance for stakeholders interested in such products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study focused on evaluating the effects of beef marination on quality traits and consumer acceptability. In this context, m. longissimus thoracis et lumborum and m. semimembranosus samples (n = 192) were obtained from Aberdeen Angus, Hereford, Charolais, and Limousine bulls and were marinated with milk (pasteurized, 100%), garlic and olive oil (2.35 g/500 mL), and lemon (citrus) juice (31% orange juice, 31% lemon juice, 38% distilled water) for 12, 24, and 72 h. Marinade components were selected based on traditional culinary practices and their scientifically proven effects on meat quality. Beef samples on day 0 and non-marinated samples were used as control groups. Beef color, water holding capacity, pH, cooking loss, and Warner–Bratzler shear force were measured three times for each sample. A taste panel assessment was performed to determine the sensory characteristics. Statistical analysis was performed using general linear model (GLM) procedures followed by Tukey's post-hoc comparison. Results revealed that marination time, as well as its two- and three-way interactions, significantly influenced beef quality parameters. These results indicate that the cattle breed is an important factor in evaluating the effectiveness of beef marination applications. The olive oil−garlic marinade was the most preferred by the panel across both types of muscle, as indicated by sensory evaluation results. The findings will not only enrich the scientific literature but also have practical implications for the beef industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: In this study, taking advantage of their bioactive properties, rosehip nanocapsules were applied to pork marinating systems to obtain marinated products with added value and improved texture. An evaluation of the changes in collagen is a good reference associated with these enhancements. The objective of this study was to prepare zein–gum Arabic nanocapsules with rosehip oil (NC-RH), apply them to pork tenderloin, and analyze the changes in collagen structure under different conditions (pH 6.5 and 4.0) and temperatures (25 °C and 4 °C). NC-RHs were prepared using the nanoprecipitation method. Nanocapsules had a particle size of 423 ± 4.1 nm, a polydispersity index of 0.125 ± 3.1, a zeta potential value of −20.1 ± 0.41 mV, an encapsulation efficiency of 75.84 ± 3.1%, and backscattering (ΔBS = 10%); the antioxidant capacity of DPPH was 1052 ± 4.2 µM Eq Trolox and the radical scavenging capacity was 84 ± 0.4%. The dispersions exhibited Newtonian behavior at 25 °C and 4 °C. Incorporating NC-RH into acid marination benefited the tenderness, water-holding capacity, and collagen swelling, and favored changes in myofibrillar proteins corroborated with histological tests. The conditions with the best changes in pork tenderloin were a pH of 4.0 at 4 °C with an NC-RH-administered 11.47 ± 2.2% collagen area. Incorporating rosehip nanocapsules modifies collagen fibers and can be applied in pork marinades to increase the shelf life of a functional product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, the effect of the dipping (static) marination process (at 4 °C for 2 h) with different types of vinegar (balsamic, pomegranate, apple, and grape) on various quality properties, including texture and protein profile of beef steaks and the formation of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) in beef steaks cooked on a hot plate (at 200 °C for 24 min), were determined. The results showed that 3.12–4.13% of the marinate liquids were absorbed by beef steak as a result of the marination process. No significant differences (p > 0.05) were observed between the marinated and cooked beef steaks in terms of water content, cooking loss, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) value, hardness, cohesiveness, and chewiness. However, significant differences were detected in terms of pH value and color values (L*, a*, and b*) (p < 0.01), and springiness, 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo (4,5-f) quinoxaline (MeIQx) and total HAA content (p < 0.05). The marination with pomegranate vinegar resulted in the formation of darker steak, while a lighter one was obtained when apple vinegar was used in the marination. The use of balsamic and grape vinegar in the marination process decreased the springiness value compared to the control group. The myofibrillar proteins of beef steaks marinated with different types of vinegar generally showed a similar sodium dodecyl-sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) profile. However, some differences were observed in the band density of some proteins depending on the trial and the type of marination. In this study, of the nine examined HAAs, only two (2-amino-3-methylimidazo (4,5-f) quinoline (IQ) and MeIQx) could be detected and quantified. IQ was detected only in the control group steak (up to 0.51 ng/g), while MeIQx was detected in all treatment groups (up to 2.22 ng/g). The total HAA content varied between 0.59–2.22 ng/g. It was determined that the marination process with different vinegar types had different effects on the total HAA content of the steaks. Using balsamic and apple vinegar in the marination process decreased the total HAA content compared to the control group, but this decrease was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). On the other hand, using grape and pomegranate vinegar in the marination process increased the total HAA content, but this increase was only significant (p < 0.05) in the marination with pomegranate vinegar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effect of animal age, calcium chloride marination, and storage time on meat quality characteristics of buffalo bulls to suggest a cost-effective method of improving buffalo meat quality. The current study was designed considering the importance of buffalo meat and the usage of meat from spent buffalo animals in local markets of South Asian countries. A total of 36 animals comprised of 18 young and 18 spent buffalo bulls were selected. After slaughtering and 24 h of postmortem chilling, striploins were separated and cut into 16 steaks and equally divided into two groups, i.e., either marinated with calcium chloride or not. Meat quality characteristics were recorded on 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 days of storage. The results showed that the pH value of young animals was higher than the value of spent animals and pH was increased over the storage time. Color b*, C*, and h* values were higher in spent animals as compared with the young animals; however, values of colors L* and h* were higher and a* was lower in marinated samples than the values of non-marinated samples. Color a* and C* values were increased and h* was decreased with lengthening the storage time. The meat cooking loss was higher in marinated and the water-holding capacity was higher in non-marinated meat samples. Shear force values were lower in young animals and marinated samples than the values of spent animals and non-marinated meat samples, respectively. Sensory characteristic scores of marinated samples were better than the non-marinated samples. In conclusion, calcium chloride marination can be used to improve the quality characteristics of buffalo meat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of essential oils (EOs) and/or vacuum packaging (VP) with meats could increase product shelf-life. However, no studies investigating the effect of EOs and VP on camel meat background microbiota have been conducted previously. The study aimed to analyze the antimicrobial effect of essential oils (EOs) carvacrol (CA), cinnamaldehyde (CI), and thymol (TH) at 1 or 2% plus vacuum packaging (VP) on the growth of spoilage-causing microorganisms in marinated camel meat chunks during storage at 4 and 10 °C. VP is an effective means to control spoilage in unmarinated camel meat (CM) and marinated camel meat (MCM) compared to aerobic packaging (AP). However, after EO addition to MCM, maximum decreases in spoilage-causing microorganisms were observed under AP on day 7. Increasing the temperature from 4 to 10 °C under AP increased the rate of spoilage-causing bacterial growth in CM and MCM; however, EOs were more effective at 10 °C. At 10 °C the maximum reductions in total mesophilic plate counts, yeast and molds, mesophilic lactic Acid bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, and Pseudomonas spp. were 1.2, 1.4, 2.1, 3.1, and 4.8 log CFU/g, respectively. Incorporating EOs at 2% in MCM, held aerobically under temperature abuse conditions, delayed spoilage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the sensory qualities of meat processed using methods such as superheated steam, marination, and hot smoking have not been examined, this study analyzed the sensory quality of chicken meats (leg, breast) and its chemical correlation by determining optimal processing conditions (superheated steam treatment, marination, and hot smoking). Chicken meats were defrosted using room temperature, running tap water, or high-frequency defroster. Marinated meats with herbal extract solution were treated with superheated steam and then hot smoked with wood sawdust; sensory evaluations were performed at each processing step. The products were analyzed for fatty acids and nutrients, along with storage tests under different conditions. High-frequency defrosting showed the lowest drip loss and thawing time compared to other methods. Bay leaves and oak wood were selected as the best sub-materials for higher sensory scores. Optimal superheated steam conditions showed higher overall acceptance (8.86, 8.71) and were set as follows; leg meat (225 °C; 12 min 20 s), breast meat (223 °C; 8 min 40 s). The final meat products possessed good nutritional composition and no severe sensory spoilages were detected during storage despite microbial and chemical degradations. Thus, regular sensory evaluations at each processing step and storage condition were effective for developing superior chicken meat products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Poultry products are popular meat products in the United States for both retail and food service sectors. Food service operators typically obtain food products in bulk as they utilize products quickly and at a high volume. Typically, chicken arrives to food service operators frozen in bulk packaging and is thawed or slacked by storing it in refrigerated temperatures (2 °C to 4 °C) to be used over several days while maintaining its acceptability for cooking and serving to consumers. Ensuring a product is safe to consume is the most important factor in the food industry. This study measured the microbial growth on marinated chicken tenderloins that were aged after slaughter, bulk-packaged, frozen, then slacked for 132 h. At no time during the slacking period did any samples reach the limit (6 log) of unsafe microbial growth. Psychotropic bacteria grew at each sampling time and the tenderloins aged for 4 and 5 days post-slaughter surpassed all other treatments. As no samples surpassed the spoilage threshold, it is suggested that slacking is a safe method of thawing chicken tenderloins for up to 8 days post-slaughter. The objective of this study was to validate the shelf-life of marinated and frozen chicken tenderloins. Treatments were randomly assigned to the age of the tenderloins post-harvest, days aged (DA): DA4, DA5, DA6, DA7, and DA8. Microbial analyses were used to analyze the growth of aerobic, psychotropic, and lactobacilli bacteria to assess the shelf-life of bulk-packaged chicken tenderloins. Tenderloins were sampled fresh, then vacuum tumbled in a marinade. After marination, the tenderloins were sampled with the remaining tenderloins packaged and frozen (−25 °C). After freezing the chicken tenderloins were slacked in a refrigerated cooler (2.2 °C) for up to 132 h (h) and sampled at 36 h, then every 24 h following. After marination, each treatment significantly (p < 0.05) decreased in aerobic and psychotropic counts except DA4. During slacking, no treatment crossed the threshold of 106 CFU/mL (Log 6) set for this study. Though none crossed the threshold, treatments DA4, DA5, and DA6 had significant (p < 0.05) increases in aerobic bacteria after 7 days of age. The psychotropic bacteria continuously grew at each sampling period, with DA4 and DA5 surpassing the other treatments (p < 0.05) at 108 h and 132 h reaching 105 CFU/mL. Every treatment remained below the spoilage threshold, suggesting that this method of storage is suitable for chicken tenderloin shelf-life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to design marinated sea bream fillets, inoculated with either Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (strains 11, 68, 69) or Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis DSM 10140. In the first step, the optimization of brine composition was performed through a centroid; the factors of the design were citric acid, vinegar, and salt. As a result of optimization, the optimal composition of brine was set to 0.75% citric acid, 55% vinegar, and 3% NaCl. In the second step, sea bream fillets were inoculated with L. plantarum strain 69 and B. animalis subsp. lactis, marinated and then packed in a conditioning solution (oil or diluted brine); the samples were stored at 4 °C for 21 days. The viability of the strains and sensory scores were assessed. The bacteria retained a high viability throughout storage (21 days); however, the sensory scores were at their highest level for 4 days. In particular, sensory assessment suggested a preference for a conditioning solution with oil, rather than with a diluted brine. In addition, a slightly higher preference was found for B. animalis subsp. lactis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates how the use of a combination of high-pressure treatment, steak marination and active packaging influences beef color and shear stress. A 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 factorial design was applied, including pressure, marination, packaging and storage time. Many significant interactions among factors were found, but the effects of pressure and marination were so high that the effect of packaging was almost undetectable. Independent of storage type, pressurized treatments presented higher values for both L* and hab than unpressurized treatments, and independent of pressure application, the increase in L* and hab with storage time was higher for marinated treatments than for unmarinated treatments. In unpressurized samples, marination provoked an increase in L*, a* and hab and a decrease in C a b ∗ , whereas in pressurized samples, marination had no effect on color. Pressurized samples always showed higher values for shear stress (on average 71% higher) than unpressurized samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of high-power ultrasound (US) to accelerate marination of chicken breast; the effect of ultrasonic frequencies and marination times were investigated on samples containing full sodium levels (FS) or 25% sodium reduction, either by reducing NaCl (R50) or by its partial substitution with KCl (SR). Chicken breasts were marinated in plastic bags immersed in an ultrasonic bath operating with a frequency of 25, 45 or 130 kHz for 1, 3 or 6 h at a temperature of 2.5 ± 0.5 °C. Chicken marinated using US had a significantly higher uptake (p < 0.05) of sodium compared to control samples (no US) marinated for the same amount of time. No significant changes were observed in the quality parameters of sonicated chicken samples compared to controls. However, significant decreases (p < 0.05) in lipid oxidation were observed in SR samples when treated by US. These results suggest the use of ultrasound in the meat processing industry as a novel technology for enhancing marination processes and formulation of reduced sodium meat products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]