Xuping Wang

The polysaccharide/protein/polyphenol-based composite films were successfully developed by blending chitosan (CS), porcine small intestinal mucosal protein (PSIMP) and curcumin (CUR) for the short-term refrigerated preservation of chicken breasts. The results showed that the addition of 2% CUR increased the elongation at break by 18.4%, and 3% CUR significantly raised the water contact angle from 53.4° to 72.5°. The water vapor transmission rate and oil absorption rate of CS/PSIMP/CUR3 films were reduced by 30% and 64%, respectively. Throughout the entire refrigerated storage period of chicken breast, packaging with the CS/PSIMP/CUR3 composite film decreased bacterial proliferation by 34% relative to the control group. After 7 days of storage, chicken breast packaged with CS/PSIMP/CUR3 film exhibited a total viable count of 5.57 log CFU/g and a total volatile basic nitrogen level of 13.36 mg/100 g, both remaining below the spoilage thresholds of 6 log CFU/g and 15 mg/100 g, respectively. Additionally, the centrifugal loss and cooking loss decreased by 19% and 32%, respectively. Furthermore, CS/PSIMP/CUR film packages significantly reduced the degradation of inosine monophosphate of refrigerated chicken breasts during storage. The proposed strategy would provide suggestions for developing the novel packaging with antimicrobial and barrier properties for the preservation of perishable meat.

The objective of this research was to present an alternate approach for enhancing the emulsification and gelation properties of porcine MP under low NaCl conditions (0.1 M). This was achieved by utilizing lipoxygenase from Volvaria volvacea (vvLOX). Addition of vvLOX from 0 to 1000 U/mL, gradually decreased the protein particle size, polydispersity index, and zeta potential values at same time increased the emulsion activity and stability index of the MP emulsion. Additionally, the gel strength and water holding capability of the MP gel also increased. At a concentration of 0.1 M NaCl, the application of vvLOX treatment resulted in a compact gel matrix for the MP gel, as evidenced by measurements of dynamic viscoelasticity and microstructure. The mechanism of enhancing emulsification and gelation properties by vvLOX addition could attribute to decreasing the dispersion of particle sizes and increasing the repulsive forces between droplets.

Compound fermented seasonings were increasingly favored by consumers. This study using Aspergillus oryzae and soybeans as raw materials to make koji. Lactobacillus plantarum and Pediococcus pentosaceus were used as starters for common fermentation with mature koji and beef to obtain a fermented beef-soybean paste. The physicochemical parameters, volatile flavor compounds, and microbial community of beef-soybean paste during fermentation were determined, and the relationship between flavor changes and microbial community changes was analyzed. Compared to the soybean paste, the addition of beef for fermentation can significantly enhanced the content of protein, amino acid nitrogen, and free amino acids in the compound fermented soybean paste, improved the nutritional and health value of the product. The addition of beef also caused a decrease in pH and total acid content in the compound soybean paste. The flavor changed during the fermentation process of beef-soybean paste were related to the changed in its microbial community.

Chlorogenic acid (CA), gallic acid (GA), and resveratrol (RES) were added to a gelatin (GEL)-chitosan (CHI)-glycerol (GLY) edible coating, and their effects on the coating of fresh beef preservation were investigated. The results revealed that CA had the most significant improvement effect on fresh beef preservation. The combination of GEL-CHI-GLY-CA preserved the color of the beef better and delayed the increase of the total volatile base nitrogen, even though its total phenolic content decreased at a faster rate during beef preservation. GA also improved the preservation effect as on the 12th day of storage, the beef samples treated with GEL-CHI-GLY-GA had the lowest thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (0.76 mg Malondialdehyde (MDA)/kg) and total viable count (6.0 log cfu/g). On the whole, though RES showed an improvement on beef preservation, the improvement was not as good as the other two polyphenols. After 12 days of storage, the beef samples treated with GEL-CHI-GLY-RES had a higher pH value (6.25) than the other two polyphenol treatmed groups. Overall, the three polyphenol-added combinations increased the shelf life of beef by approximately 3–6 days compared to the control group (treated GEL-CHI-GLY with distilled water).