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Nowadays, there is a great interest regarding demand for foods with low-fat meat products to decrease the risk of nutritional diseases. Several strategies had been reported to reduce fat contents of meat products. The term fat replacer is used to describe a wide variety of products that replace some or all of the fat in foods. In the last years, chicken luncheon meat became one of the most commonly widely marketed and distributed meat products all over the world due to its delicious taste and cheap price. In this study, the chemical quality of the chicken luncheon meat produced either by; sun flower oil, sun flower oil and sodium alginate, sun flower oil, sodium alginate and rice flour, sun flower oil, sodium alginate, rice flour and gum Arabic as fat replacers was evaluated according to market reference toward production of new chicken meat luncheon of low fat, cholesterol and calories. The results revealed that application of fat replacers in cooked chicken luncheon meat enhanced the quality of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids improving its nutritional value.

Background. Since the beginning of humanity, the global burden of foodborne disease has had a decimating effect on populations, with biogenic amines (BAs) and aflatoxins in meat products implicated. While many developed countries have legitimized safety levels for BAs using evidence-based guidelines to attain high food quality standards for consumers of meat products, developing countries are still battling against poor food quality checking. Purpose. This study examines the level of health risk of biogenic amines and aflatoxin in meat products by extracting and estimating their residues and determining their indices as a way of monitoring the potential health impacts of these residues on consumers of meat products. Methods. A total of 40 imported meat products sampled and randomly collected, representing imported luncheon meat, hot dog sausages, corned beef, and minced meat. Using recommended laboratory protocols, eight residues of BAs and aflatoxins were extracted. Results. Eight BAs, histamine, tyramine, tryptamine, cadaverine, putrescine, β-phenyl ethylamine, spermine, and spermidine, were extracted and determined in all tested samples. Tyramine levels in luncheon meat were found to be significantly higher than in other meat products, while significantly high cadaverine levels were reported in corned beef samples. The results of biogenic amine index (BAI) revealed that the quality of imported minced meat and imported hot dog samples was good (BAI 5 µg/kg) in imported luncheon meat and imported hot dog meat samples. Conclusion. The general results indicate that testing meat products for biogenic amines and aflatoxins is a very good indicator for monitoring the freshness and quality of meat products.

A total of 396 food samples (ready-to-eat meat and poultry products; shellfish and finfish products; some raw shell and finfish and meat products; salads and coleslaws; baked confectionary) was purchased from local retail outlets and examined for the presence of motile aeromonads. Of the food categories tested, shellfish had the highest incidence, with 66% positive. Vegetable products, luncheon meat, salami, pate, and poultry products had very low incidences, and no motile aeromonads were found in baked confectionary, some of which contained whipped cream. Beef, pork, lamb, sausage, and finfish products had incidences above 20%. Most of the strains isolated were Aeromonas hydrophila . Given the reported distribution, a public health problem may exist if motile aeromonads do cause gastrointestinal disease.

Listeria monocytogenes has long been associated with ready-to-eat foods, particularly with deli products. A retail deli is full of potential niches for L. monocytogenes to establish, and this poses a significant sanitation challenge. Retail sliced deli meat products, also known as luncheon meat or cold cuts, are subject to long home storage times under refrigerated conditions where L. monocytogenes can multiply; these commonly consumed ready-to-eat meats are high risk for getting cross-contaminated in the retail deli environment and causing listeriosis. This review considers elements of the retail deli environment which can affect the prevalence and persistence of L. monocytogenes that may lead to contamination of sliced meat, as well as the specific attributes associated with L. monocytogenes isolated from deli environments and decontamination measures assessed to reduce L. monocytogenes prevalence in deli environments. In deli environments, the ratio of L. monocytogenes to Listeria spp. is 2.4:1, and L. monocytogenes is found twice as frequently on non-food contact surfaces compared to food contact surfaces. Elements that may affect the likelihood of this pathogen persisting in the deli environment are sanitizer tolerance and biofilm formation ability; it is found that there are no differences in sanitizer tolerance between transient and persistent deli strains, but biofilm formation is a trait linked to persistence in L. monocytogenes isolated from delis. A major virulence factor in L. monocytogenes, full length internalin gene inlA, has a higher prevalence in retail deli isolates compared to the studied prevalence in all food isolatesbut closely resembles the prevalence in clinical isolates, suggesting that the retail deli is a major source of clinically recognized listeriosis cases. To combat this pathogen, the merits of daily intervention as well as deep cleans are discussed; increased employee commitment to cleaning programs and a greater food safety culture are related to improved retail deli cleanliness.

The rate of foodborne illness caused by Listeria monocytogenes continues to exceed the Healthy People 2020 goal of 0.2 cases per 100,000 persons. Listeria infections are primarily sporadic, most cases caused by eating contaminated, ready-to-eat (RTE) foods including luncheon meats sliced in retail delis which have been implicated as being responsible for as many as 83% of these illnesses. Listeria specific antimicrobials incorporated in RTE luncheon meats to be sliced in retail delis would lower the risk to consumers by as much as 96%, especially for high-risk consumers. Walmart and Sam's Club stores (Bentonville, AR), large retailers of RTE meats sliced in their delis, have required all their suppliers of bulk RTE meats which could support the growth of Listeria to include a verified inhibitor that will not allow an increase in L. monocytogenes of more than 1 log during the intended shelf-life and storage of the product. We surveyed these suppliers and determined that six of 15 suppliers had not added inhibitors to their bulk luncheon meat for Walmart prior to the 2010 requirement. One supplier reported using inhibitors in 60% of their products prior to Walmart's mandate and now uses Listeria specific inhibitors in 100% of the bulk deli meats it produces, regardless of customer. Three of the five manufacturers who needed to reformulate their products reported additional benefits: the Listeria specific antimicrobials extended their products' shelf life, improved food safety and provided better protection for their customers.

O objetivo deste estudo foi desenvolver duas formulações de apresuntado contendo farinha de yacon e extrato de frutanos de yacon visando obter produtos de melhor qualidade nutricional e ricos em fibras alimentares. Os apresuntados foram elaborados substituindo-se a fécula de mandioca (1,73%) pela farinha de yacon e a água da formulação (37,85%) pelo extrato aquoso de frutanos. Os efeitos dessas substituições nas qualidades tecnológicas e sensoriais dos apresuntados foram avaliados comparando-os com um controle. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram existirem diferenças significativas entre as formulações e evidenciaram que a adição da farinha de yacon ao apresuntado originou uma formulação com menor teor de sódio, índice de amarelo, tonalidade, dureza, flexibilidade, adesividade e menores notas nos quesitos sabor e impressão global. Entretanto revelaram que o apresuntado elaborado com extrato de frutanos apresentou uma aceitabilidade semelhante ao controle, porém com menor dureza e maiores teores de potássio e fibras, originando um produto cárneo benéfico à saúde. The objective of this study was to develop two luncheon meat formulations containing yacon flour and yacon fructan extract, in order to obtain products with improved nutritional quality and rich in dietary fiber. The luncheon meats were prepared replacing the cassava starch (1.73%) with yacon flour, and the water used in the formulation (37.85%) with the aqueous fructan extract. The effects of these substitutions on the technological and sensory qualities of the luncheon meats were evaluated, comparing them with a control. The results obtained showed there were significant differences between the formulations. The addition of yacon flour to the luncheon meat resulted in a formulation with a lower sodium content, yellow index, hue, hardness, flexibility and adhesion and lower scores for the items of taste and overall impression. However, they showed that the luncheon meat prepared with the fructan extract presented an acceptability similar to that of the control, but with reduced hardness and higher levels of potassium and fiber, resulting in a meat product beneficial to the health.

Summary Glucose accumulated in chub packed luncheon meat cooked at 66°C. Glucose was also released from pork starch slurries, but not similar slurries prepared with beef or mutton. The amylolytic activity of pork was not inactivated by heating at 60°C, and this thermostable activity appears to account for the accumulation of glucose in pasteurized chub packed luncheon meat stored under conditions that preclude bacterial growth.

Process pasteurization values for reference temperature 70 degrees C (P70) were calculated from the temperature profiles of 250 g luncheon meat chubs cooked under experimental conditions. A simple equation relating Process P70-value and the time and temperature of cooking was derived. With minimal cooking (P70 = 40) the surviving microflora (10(3)/g) wad dominated by species of Lactobacillus, Brochothrix and Micrococcus. These organisms were destroyed by more intensive cooking (P70 = 105), leaving a flora (10(2)/g) composed of Bacillus and Micrococcus species. The spoilage that developed after 14 d storage at 25 degrees C reflected the severity of the heat treatment received by each chub: with P70 between 40 and 90, a Streptococcus spoilage sequence occurred; with P70 between 105 and 120, a Bacillus/Streptococcus spoilage sequence occurred; with P70 of 135 and above, a Bacillus spoilage sequence occurred. Cooking to a P70 = 75 was adequate to reduce the surviving microflora to the 10(2)/g level associated with current good manufacturing practice.

The relationship between sensory attributes and total numbers of bacteria was investigated in a study involving 600 samples of spiced luncheon meat. cooked salami, bologna, and chopped ham. The vacuum packaged products were purchased from 60 markets throughout the United States. Samples were subjected to microbiological and sensory evaluation within a few days after purchase and once a week during a 3-week refrigerated storage period. Based upon an off-flavor intensity scale of 1 = none to 7 = extremely strong, the samples having total plate counts (TPC) of< 104, 104, 105, 106, 107, and 108 per gram had mean taste panel scores (TPS) of 2.00, 2.25, 1.92, 2.06, 1.93, and 3.17, respectively over the 3-week storage period. A microbiological standard of 106 TPC would terminate shelf life of these products at 24–28 days after manufacture. Establishment of a total bacterial population of 108 per gram with a corresponding decrease in sensory quality did not occur until 46–60 days after manufacture.

A new approach to electronically counting microbial colonies is described. An experimental counter based on the theory, with no provision for calibration or setting of thresholds, returned counts comparing excellently with manual ones even in the presence of stained chicken, corn, tuna and luncheon meat debris, or highly coloured backgrounds of chocolate, paprika and turmeric. At the same time it accommodated illumination variations equivalent to at least four f-stops. In a few cases, where colonies were extremely difficult even for humans to distinguish, the counter returned poor counts; however, the new working principle permits it to alert the operator to the subject's dubious quality. The counter discriminated easily between two bacterial species on one plate, distinguishing and separately counting Aeromonas hydrophila (browny-yellow) and Citrobacter freundii (light yellow). It also identified and counted A. hydrophila in mixed culture by following the biochemical reactivity of colonies transferred across three substrates, counting only those which were positive on all three.

SUMMARY Study of the incidence of putrefactive anaerobic spores in fresh and cured pork trimmings and in canned pork luncheon meat from several commercial meat packing plants in Iowa indicated that the level of contamination was very low. The mode of putrefactive anaerobic spores in fresh pork trimmings was less than 0.18 per gram and less than 1 per gram in cured pork trimmings and canned pork luncheon meat. The maximum spore count found in any sample tested was 51 spores per gram. Spore counts on samples from different plants were similar.

SUMMARY Under anaerobic culture conditions, 120 cultures of sporeforming rods were isolated from fresh and cured pork trimmings and from pork luncheon meat; 22 of these proved to be obligate anaerobic putrefactive organisms. Studied by the Reed and Orr method of rapid identification, the following species were identified: Clostridium. tetanomorphum, Cl. novyi, Cl. carnis, Cl. paraputrificum, Cl. tetani, Cl. histolyticum, and Cl. sporogenes. One culture was similar to Clostridium sp. National Canners Association putrefactive anaerobe 3679 (PA 3679). Serological relationships were determined by using antisera for Cl. sporogenes and PA 3679. No cross agglutination was obtained between Cl. sporogenes and PA 3679. An organism identified biochemically as Cl. carnis agglutinated in dilutions of 1:5120 of PA 3679 antiserum, indicating a very close serological relationship. Several organisms revealed antigens in common with Cl. sporogenes. The organism with biochemical reactions similar to PA 3679 showed no serological relationship to the known species. Serological relationships correlated with heat resistance while biochemical reactions did not.

Information is lacking on the ability of the common mold contaminant, Aspergillus flavus, to grow and produce aflatoxin in perishable foods at normal refrigerator temperatures. Because of public health interests we investigated the possibility of certain perishable foods contaminated with the mold developing an aflatoxin concentration under conditions of refrigeration. Cheddar cheese and luncheon-meat samples were inoculated with A. flavus ATCC 15517 and were refrigerated for 12 days at 4.4 or 7.2 C or incubated at 25 C for 12 days, Uninoculated cheese and meat samples were handled in the same manner. All samples were quantitatively analyzed by thin-layer chromatography for presence of aflatoxin. All samples; except those inoculated and incubated at 25 C, were negative for aflatoxin production. This indicated the mold would, not produce detectable aflatoxin in the tested foods when kept at normal refrigeration temperatures for 12 days.

The effect of different food textures on the replication of jaw movements has been generally ignored. In this study, the jaw movements of 28 young male subjects were measured while they chewed two samples of three foods—pork luncheon meat, dried apple and roasted salted peanuts. Several parameters, that characterized each chewing cycle when viewed from a frontal projection, were measured, and the average value for each variable was calculated. Values for dried apple and pork luncheon meat did not differ significantly between trials. However, for the second trial with peanuts, the chewing cycle duration was shorter (the duration of the closing phase being less and the closing velocity greater). These changes may have been due to exercizing caution during the chewing of a hard food while gaining familiarity with its texture.

The principal spoilage bacteria isolated from chub-packed luncheon meat stored at 25 °C have been identified as strains of Bacillus licheniformis and Streptococcus faecium. Bacillus licheniformis alone is responsible for those degradative changes (surface softening and discolouration, gas production and eventual product liquefaction) regarded as overt product spoilage. Streptococcus faecium metabolizes carbohydrate homofermentatively, and the resultant accumulation of lactic acid causes souring of the luncheon meat.

Studies were performed to investigate the effect of combinations of mild heat treatment ( F 0 ≈ 0.5) and γ-radiation (4 kGy) on the microbiological stability of canned luncheon meat inoculated with spores of Clostridium sporogenes. The effect of heat treatment plus irradiation and that of a combination of the reversed sequence were studied. For quantification of the combined effect of the sporocide physical treatments and the inhibition of the survivors by the antimicrobial chemical factors (reduced a w , nitrite, suboptimal pH.) of the product, the method proposed by Hauschild et al. 0 J. Fd Protect . 48 (1985), 197) was followed. Storage studies demonstrated the increased efficacy of combination treatments against bacterial spores. Pre-irradiation followed by heat treatment resulted in higher spore damage/inactivation than the opposite order of treatment. It is estimated that the number of safe packages may be increased in the experimental batch treated by 4 kGy irradiation plus F 0 ≈ 0.5 min heat treatment than that of the batch which has been heat-treated only.