Tesi sul tema "Meat"

The present thesis, which includes four main researches, aimed to study functional meat and meat products obtained from unconventional meat species, namely the rabbit and the ostrich. The first research tested the single and combined dietary supplementation with 5% Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) and 3% Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) to growing rabbits for 3 and 6 weeks, and it is articulated in four different subchapters. The first subchapter considered the effect on total tract apparent digestibility of nutrients and on the performances of growing rabbits and showed that that single and combined supplementation with Spirulina reduced the nutritive value of the diets. Despite this, no substantial effect on growth performance and health status, was observed. Future studies should take into consideration feed processing technology, pelleting, storage and packaging conditions, as they may reduce or nullify the nutrient and functional compounds’ availability. Moreover, Spirulina and/or Thyme effect on health status should be tested under poorer sanitary conditions. The second subchapter studied the effects on growing rabbit carcass composition, meat and bone rheological traits, and the vitamin B12 content of Longissimus dorsi (LD) meat. Spirulina was confirmed as a rich source of vitamin B12 that was successfully transferred into LD meat, thus demonstrating its value as an effective natural supplement in producing food fortified with this vital element. With this exception, the supplement as well as and the duration of treatment had no effect on the considered traits. The third subchapter evaluated the effect on rabbit meat during retail display. Thyme improved colour parameters and reduced exudative losses during a simulated retail display, also considering a shorter supplementation period. This would positively impact consumers at the time of purchase as well as farmers demand to limit production costs. Differently, Spirulina had no effect on oxidative stability of rabbit meat, maybe for the poor absorption from the gut as a result of interference on uptake of antioxidants by Spirulina, or maybe because dietary level of Spirulina was not adequate for rabbits requirements. The fourth subchapter studied the effects on raw and cooked rabbit meat quality, nutrient true retention and protection against oxidative stress conditions. The dietary inclusion of Spirulina improved the FA profile of the Longissimus dorsi and hind leg meat by significantly increasing γ-linolenic acid content. Thyme improved the oxidative stability of raw and freeze-dried HL meat but not that of cooked meat. As for the shelf-life trial, Spirulina was not observed to improve the oxidative stability of rabbit meat subjected to severe oxidative stress. The second research of the present thesis, aimed to evaluate the effect of the dietary single or combined supplementation with different natural additives (Oregano, Rosemary, vitamin E and Saccaromyces cerevisiae) on the performance of growing rabbits, the nutritional composition and oxidative stability of their meat and on their hind leg bone traits. The results of this research demonstrated that an adequate supplementation with natural antioxidants can also have a positive effect on productive performance and meat quality. The fifth chapter evaluated, for the first time, the unfermented and fermented rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) in preventing lipid oxidation in ostrich meat patties and ostrich salami. This plant showed interesting and promising antioxidant potential when applied to meat products, even if further study are necessary to deeply investigate long-term effects. The sixth chapter studied the effect of two different fat inclusion levels, NaCl contents and two LAB starter cultures on the weight loss, proximate composition and cholesterol content of ostrich salami ripened for 10 and 20 weeks. A lower fat content consistently shortened ripening time, thus being a positive aspect in terms of productivity, and it determined a higher nutrients concentration compared to high fat salami. Reducing the NaCl inclusion, retarded the weight loss of the product of about 1 week, without affecting its proximate composition. Finally, the metabolic activity of tested LAB starter cultures seemed to be influenced by the fat inclusion level, ultimately affecting the healthiness of the products at 10 weeks of ripening
La presente tesi si compone di quattro ricerche principali e si propone di studiare carne e prodotti carnei funzionali ottenuti da specie non convenzionali, lo struzzo e il coniglio. La prima ricerca ha testato l’inclusione singola o combinata, per 3 o 6 settimane, con il 5% di Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) ed il 3% di Timo (Thymus vulgaris) nella dieta di conigli in accrescimento. Questo primo capitolo si articola in quattro sottocapitoli. Il primo ha considerato l’effetto sulla digeribilità apparente delle diete e sulle prestazioni produttive di conigli in accrescimento e ha evidenziato che l’inclusione separata o combinata di Spirulina ha ridotto il valore nutritivo delle diete. Nonostante ciò, non è stato osservato alcun effetto sulle prestazioni produttive e sullo stato di salute degli animali. Studi futuri dovranno considerare la tecnologia di produzione del mangime, la pellettatura e le condizioni di confezionamento e stoccaggio, in quanto potrebbero ridurre o nullificare la disponibilità di componenti nutritivi e funzionali. Inoltre, l’inclusione di Spirulina e/o Timo dovrebbe essere testata in condizioni sanitarie più critiche. Il secondo sottocapitolo ha valutato l’effetto dell’inclusione di Spirulina e Timo sulla composizione della carcassa, le caratteristiche reologiche di carne ed ossa ed il contenuto di vitamina B12 del Longissimus dorsi (LD). Spirulina ha confermato di essere una fonte di vitamina B12, la quale è stata trasferita con successo nella carne del LD. Spirulina ha quindi dimostrando il suo valore quale additivo naturale per produrre alimenti fortificati con questo elemento. Per quanto riguarda gli altri aspetti considerati nella presente ricerca, gli additivi naturali testati non hanno avuto alcun effetto. Il terzo sottocapitolo ha studiato la “shelf-life” della carne fresca di coniglio durante una simulazione di esposizione finalizzata alla vendita. Il timo ha migliorato il colore e ridotto le perdite essudative della carne, anche quando è stato somministrato per il periodo più breve. Questo risultato da un lato è in grado di influenzare positivamente il consumatore al momento dell’acquisto, e dall’altro va incontro alle esigenze dell’allevatore di limitare i costi di produzione. Al contrario, Spirulina non ha avuto alcun effetto sulla stabilità ossidativa della carne, forse per uno scarso assorbimento intestinale dovuto all’interferenza degli antiossidanti presenti nella Spirulina stessa, oppure perché il livello di inclusione nella dieta non era adeguato alle esigenze dei conigli. Il quarto sottocapitolo ha testato l’effetto sulla qualità della carne cruda e cotta, sulla ritenzione reale dei nutrienti e sulla protezione nei confronti di condizioni di stress ossidativo. L’inclusione di Spirulina ha migliorato il profilo acidico del Longissimus dorsi e dell’arto posteriore di coniglio, attraverso l’aumento del contenuto dell’acido grasso γ-linolenico. Il Timo ha migliorato la stabilità ossidativa della carne dell’arto posteriore cruda e liofilizzata, ma non quella della carne cotta. Come era stato osservato nel precedente esperimento sulla “shelf-life” della carne di coniglio, Spirulina non ha migliorato la stabilità ossidativa della carne sottoposta a stress ossidativo intenso. Il secondo capitolo della presente tesi, ha considerato l’effetto dell’inclusione singola o combinata con diversi additivi naturali (Origano, Rosmarino, vitamina E e Saccaromyces cerevisiae) sulle prestazioni produttive di conigli in accrescimento, la composizione nutrizionale e la stabilità ossidativa della carne nonchè sulle caratteristiche ossee degli arti. I risultati di questa ricerca hanno dimostrato che un’adeguata inclusione di antiossidanti naturali nella dieta di conigli in accrescimento ha avuto un effetto positivo anche sulle prestazioni produttive e sulla qualità della carne. Il quinto capitolo, invece, ha studiato per la prima volta l’applicazione di rooibos (Aspalathus linearis), fermentato e non, sulla carne e prodotti derivati. In particolare, è stata valutata la sua capacità di prevenire l’ossidazione lipidica in polpette e salami di struzzo. I risultati hanno rivelato un interessante e promettente potenziale antiossidante di questa pianta nei confronti dei prodotti carnei testati. Tuttavia, sono necessari ulteriori studi per esaminarne l’efficacia a lungo termine. Il sesto ed ultimo capitolo, ha valutato due diversi livelli di grasso e NaCl, e due diversi starter microbici, sulle perdite di peso, composizione centesimale e contenuto di colesterolo di salami di struzzo stagionati per 10 e 20 settimane. Un minore contenuto di grasso ha ridotto considerevolmente il tempo di stagionatura, essendo quindi un aspetto positivo in termini di produttività, e ha determinato una maggiore concentrazione di nutrienti rispetto al salame preparato con il più alto livello di grasso. La riduzione del contenuto di NaCl ha ritardato le perdite di peso dei salami di 1 settimana, senza tuttavia modificare la composizione centesimale del prodotto. Infine, l’attività metabolica degli starter microbici testati è sembrata essere condizionata dal contenuto di grasso del salame e ciò, a 10 settimane di stagionatura, ha influenzato la salubrità del prodotto

In this paper, I will detail the process that went into the making of my thesis film, Extra Meat. The areas I will cover include: Writing, Directing, Production Design, Cinematography, Editing, Sound, as well as Technology. Special emphasis will be given to new casting and directing styles I have developed to encourage the strongest possible performances. I will then evaluate the success of the decisions I made.

En el presente trabajo de investigación desarrollado en la Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas a los estudiantes de modalidad PREGRADO, consiste en la aplicación de un plan para la puesta en marcha de un modelo de negocio de cortes de carne especiales para parrillas y complementos empaquetados al vacío. Dentro de los complementos tenemos una selección de salsas gourmet y embutidos artesanales preparado en base a una selección de finas hierbas, de esta manera Paleo Meat brindará una experiencia gastronómica de cortes en carnes y charcutería. Paleo Meat posee como público objetivo a personas comprendidos de 25 a 55 años pertenecientes a un NSE A y B que residan en los distritos de la zona 7 y aledaños en lima metropolitana. En su mayoría pertenecen a la Población económicamente activa. El producto será promocionado a través de plataformas virtuales, es decir, redes sociales como Facebook e Instagram. Así mismo, será comercializado a través de servicio de Courier tales como Rappi, Glovo, Uber Eats u otros. Finalmente, el análisis financiero realizado como estudio de la empresa tenemos un costo de oportunidad del capital (COK) de 11.68%. De esta manera podemos concluir que, el desarrollo de la empresa CARNES Y CHARCUTERÍA SAC es viable económicamente.
In the present research work developed at the Peruvian University of Applied Sciences for undergraduate students, it consists in the application of a plan for the implementation of a business model of special cuts of meat for grills and vacuum-packed accessories. Within the complements we have a selection of gourmet sauces and artisanal sausages prepared based on a selection of fine herbs, in this way Paleo Meat will provide a gastronomic experience of cuts in meats and charcuterie. Paleo Meat has as its target audience people between 25 and 55 years old belonging to an NSE A and B that reside in the districts of zone 7 and nearby in metropolitan Lima. They mostly belong to the economically active population. The product will be promoted through virtual platforms, that is, social networks such as Facebook and Instagram. Likewise, it will be marketed through Courier service such as Rappi, Glovo, Uber Eats or others. Finally, the financial analysis performed as a study of the company has an opportunity cost of capital (COK) of 11.68%. In this way we can conclude that, the development of the company CARNES Y CHARCUTERÍA SAC is economically viable.
Trabajo de investigación

Being treated as a piece of meat has long been an issue around which feminist concerns regarding the representation of women and practices of cultural consumption coalesce. However, as the Humanities undergo a paradigm shift away from intrinsically privileging the human subject, this demands new consideration of how cultural figurations of meat can work to challenge the terms of the species border. This thesis offers close readings of contemporary film, literature, visual art, music and live performance produced between the late 1980s and the present day that stage carnal encounters with meat. I unite these figurations under the term ‘meaty bodies’, exploring how they question the supposedly self-evident line between the flesh that we are and the flesh that we may eat. Situating its theoretical approach within the tension between psychoanalytic and cultural theories of taboo and abjection and emerging ‘new materialist’ conceptualisations of matter, this thesis contributes to the project of disrupting the primacy of ‘the human’ and the workings of the species divide. The thesis begins by examining three cultural productions that humanise meat by using it to speak to themes of vulnerability, trauma and sexual desire respectively. The photographic series Perishables (Yolaçan, 2002–04), the live art performance My New York (Zhang, 2002) and the pornographic novella The Butcher (Reyes, 1988) utilise meat to speak to issues surrounding human embodiment. However, I suggest that this typically decouples meat from the animal body from which it derives. The thesis subsequently turns to four cultural productions that more directly engage with the violence inherent in the naturalisation of meat as animal body. Analysing the experimental text Diary of a Steak (Levy, 1997), the concept album One Pig (Herbert, 2011), the live art performance inthewrongplaceness (O’Reilly, 2004–09) and the feature film Beasts of the Southern Wild (Zeitlin, 2012), the thesis positions these cultural productions as a challenge to the species border through their attentiveness to contemporary issues surrounding meat consumption and production, including discussion of ‘meat panics’ such as the 1980s/1990s BSE crisis, the development of tissue-cultured meat and impending food scarcity. These close readings show that what I term a ‘carnal equivalence’ between human and animal flesh can be a powerful means of questioning the terms of the species border. Yet, in rendering their encounters with meat frequently difficult and strained, these cultural productions stage and generate ambivalence as integral to our relations with meat consumption and production in the contemporary moment. The thesis suggests that this uncertainty is indicative of a wider impasse within the Humanities, as the field seeks to decentralise ‘the human’ and the discourses that are invested in the continued dominance of this category, yet is still shaped by attachments and anxieties that render this move more difficult than may otherwise be supposed.

Pork quality is an important issue for the whole meat chain, from producers, abattoirs, retailers through to costumers and is affected by a web of multi-factorial actions that occur throughout the pork production chain. A vast amount of information is available on how these diverse factors influence different pork quality traits. However, results derived from individual studies often vary and are in some cases even contradictory due to different experimental designs or different pork quality assessment techniques or protocols. Also, individual influencing factors are often studied in isolation, ignoring interacting effects. A suitable method is therefore required to account for a range of interacting factors, to combine the results from different experiments and to derive generic response-laws. The aim of this thesis was to use meta-analyses to produce quantitative, predictive models that describe how diverse factors affect pork quality over a range of experimental conditions.

The worldwide consumption of meat continues to increase and in Sweden the annual consumption has gone from 24 kg/person in 1990 to about 78 kg/person in 2005. This contributes to large environmental impacts such as an increase of greenhouse gas emissions, unsustainable land and resource use and shortage of water. A solution to the problem is to change our diets to be more sustainable. The purpose with this research is therefore to study the positive environmental and health aspects of alternative protein rich products based on soya, grown meat, algae and insects in comparison with meat. The goal is then to compare the environmental impacts from these products by studying different LCA-studies. Furthermore, also to understand how the future will be developed by interviewing producers of meat substitutes in Sweden. Some difficulties of comparing different LCA-studies are the choice of system boundaries, functional units and environmental aspects in the studies. Nevertheless, after studying a large amount of reports and articles about the products conclusions could yet be drawn. The carbonfootprint from beef is up to 20 times larger than from the substitutes and the land use is up to 125 times larger for beef compared to substitutes. Pork and chicken have lower impact but the lowest impact seems to come from producing substitutes based on soya beans. Insects and algae also have a low impact, but the products are still in the stage of development in Sweden due to laws, regulations and lack of knowledge. Regarding the health aspects substitutes could possibly replace meat since both insects and soya are rich of protein. Insects are also rich oniron and other nutrition. Algae consist as well of good nutrition. The companies interviewed in this study were Kung Markatta, Ekko gourmet and Veggi. They had some different opinions on future products, but they could all agree on that we need to eat less meat and more substitutes. The conclusions of this research are that the environmental aspects considered in the analysed LCA-studies are mostly carbon footprint and land use. They show that beef have a larger environmental impact than meat substitutes. It is however recommended to do new studies on products with the same system boundaries and functional units to get a more accurate and comparable result.

Biomechanical compression studies at different temperatures were conducted to correlate the biomechanical response of raw bovine Longissimus dorsi muscles varying in USDA Quality Grade with overall sensory tenderness scores. Phase 1 assessed the biomechanical properties of raw 2.54 cm3 samples obtained with a Texture Analyzer fitted with a 10 cm diameter platen which applied a constant strain of 3% for four minutes. Muscle specimens were arranged with fibers in parallel and perpendicular orientations to the applied force and tested at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10°C. Initial stiffness, final stiffness and energy dissipated of raw steak cubes with fiber orientation in parallel and perpendicular fiber orientations were calculated using the models and technique of Spadaro (1996) and correlated to overall sensory tenderness scores for each compression temperature. All compression values had higher correlation coefficients with overall sensory tenderness than did Warner-Bratzler Shear Force (WBSF). Of the prediction equations developed, it was concluded that samples compressed perpendicularly at 2ºC were better predictors of overall sensory tenderness (R2 = 0.77) than WBSF (R2 = 0.11). Phase 2 assessed the biomechanical properties of raw steaks (2.54 cm thick) using a 2 mm diameter stainless steel probe in lieu of the platen and compressing samples 0.635 cm for 0.25 sec at -6.6, 4.4 or 10°C. Initial stiffness (ISTFPR), final stiffness (FSTFPR) and energy dissipated (EDPR) of raw intact steaks were calculated using a modification of the models and technique of Spadaro (1996) and correlated to overall sensory tenderness scores for each compression temperature. ISTFPR, FSTPF and EDPR values regressed against overall sensory tenderness produced higher R-square values (R2 = 0.71 at 4.4ºC and R2 = 0.70 at 10ºC) than prediction equations using WBSF (R2 = 0.65). The significance of this study was that sensory tenderness could be predicted rapidly and more accurately on intact raw loin samples using a nondestructive probe measurement than could be predicted with WBSF. This innovative technique could potentially be used as a selection tool to ensure beef tenderness, be integrated into an on-line USDA Quality Grading system and be utilized as a powerful non-destructive research technique.

This thesis starts from the proposition that the ethical meat discourse that is, the discourse recognizing that factory farming is unacceptable while maintaining that it is possible to produce meat in an acceptable way — has not been thoroughly analyzed. Indeed, both the partisans of this idea and the animal rights literature provide oversimplified analyses of this relatively new phenomenon. Considering its explosion in popularity since Michael Pollan published the essay “An Animal's Place” in The New York Times Magazine in 2002, this lack of research is particularly problematic for the animal rights movement as this new discourse directly counters its objectives. As such, this thesis uses Gramsci’s concept of passive revolution to develop a richer analysis of the apparent marginalizing effect that this discourse has on the animal rights movement. More precisely, the thesis addresses the question: “If the emergence of the ethical meat discourse is understood as part of a passive revolution, what can the specific process of passive revolution tell us about the impacts of the ethical meat discourse on the animal rights movement?” It argues that the passive revolution operates on two levels: (1) it depoliticizes the issue of meat consumption by presenting it as irrelevant and reducing it to technical details and (2) it absorbs the moderate elements of the animal rights movement by proposing an attractive alternative. Both of these processes lead to the marginalization of the few animal advocacy organizations still criticizing ethical meat. The analysis is divided in three parts. The first and second analyze respectively the content of the discourse and internal dynamics of the coalition formed around it using Maarten Hajer’s concept of discourse-coalition. Building on this comprehensive understanding of the ethical meat discourse, the actual process of passive revolution is analyzed by looking at the way the meat industry, environmental organizations and animal advocacy organizations engage with it.

Nortura, Norway’s largest producer of meat, faces many challenges in their operation. One of these challenges is to decide which products to make out of each of the slaughtered animals. The meat from the animals can be made into different products, some more valuable than others. However, someone has to buy the products as well. It is therefore important to produce what the customers ask for. This thesis is about a computer system based on online optimisation which helps the meat cutters decide what to make. Two different meat cutting plants have been visited to specify how the system should work. This information has been used to develop a program which can give a recommendation for what to produce from carcasses during cutting. The system has been developed by considering both the attributes of the animals and the orders from the customers. The main focus of the thesis is how to deal with the fact that the attributes are only known for a small number of the animals, since they are measured right after slaughtering. A method has been made to calculate what should be made from the different carcasses, and this method has been realised with both exact and heuristic algorithms.

Doctor of Philosophy
Department of Agricultural Economics
Glynn Tonsor
Few things facing the U.S. meat industry in recent years have garnered more attention of economic researchers than food safety events, policies, and mitigation efforts. This dissertation has two main essays and themes focusing on both domestic and international food safety issues. Contributing new insights to this situation, the impacts of FSIS (Food Safety Inspection Service) recalls on consumer meat demand in the United States are estimated by a series of Rotterdam models in the first study using monthly grocery-scanner data. Multiple model specifications are employed to further assess effects across meat products and geographic regions. Recall variables are constructed separately as beef E. coli recall, beef non-E. coli recall, pork recall, and poultry recall variables to facilitate finer assessment of demand impacts. Results suggest beef E. coli recalls significantly reduce the demand for ground beef contemporaneously among most, but not all, regions in the United States. The ultimate finding of food safety effects neither being fully homogeneous nor entirely heterogeneous warrants appreciation. In order to protect domestic consumers and meat industries from potential food safety hazards, some member countries of the WTO implement sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures as non-tariff barriers. The second study focuses on investigating the determinants of red meat trade patterns and associated impacts of SPS regulations. This analysis uses multiple product-level gravity equation models and PPML (Poisson Pesudo Maximum-likelihood estimators to overcome sample selection bias and heteroscedasticity and examine the trade relationship among other factors. Results indicate that, trade values of frozen beef and pork are significantly reduced by the implementation of SPS measures. Also, the spillover effects across meat products on trade were detected which provides essential information to the meat industry, policy makers, and trade representatives.

Top loin steaks were used to determine the influence of packaging procedure on the microbial growth and succession on the top and bottom surfaces of steaks during a 12 day storage period. The following packaging treatments were used: (1) Gas permeable Resinite film overwrap as a control; (2) gas flush with 1% CO, 40% O₂, 59% N₂ for 2 minutes followed by film overwrap; (3) loose packaging in gas impermeable barrier bags with 100 to 150 cc ambient air; (4) 15% CO₂, 40% O₂, 45% N₂ gas atmosphere; (5) 60% CO₂, 40% O₂ gas atmosphere; and (6) 10% CO₂, 5% O₂, 85% N₂ gas atmosphere. Total psychrotrophic counts obtained from the top and bottom surfaces did not differ significantly for most sampling periods. Similar growth patterns were observed on both steak surfaces, increasing (P <.05) primarily between Day 3 and Day 9 of post-treatment storage. The steaks packaged within the gas atmospheres had lower (P<.05) total growth than the control steaks. Comparing atmospheres, the steaks packaged in relatively low CO₂ and O₂ levels (10% and 5%, respectively) had lower (P<.05) microbial growth than steaks packaged in 15 to 60% CO₂ and 40% O₂ when initial contamination was low. Pseudomonas dominated the microflora on the steak surfaces in all packaging treatments during early storage. Other aerobic organisms which survived gas atmosphere treatments include Coryneforms, Micrococcus, and Microbacterium, although they did not show large increases in growth. Coryneforms were also competitive on the bottom surface of the control steaks despite domination by the pseudomonad organisms. Loose packaging in impermeable barrier bags allowed the growth of Serratia liquifaciens after 6 days of storage. This bacterium also tended to dominate the flora within the gas atmosphere packages, although other facultative organisms (Enterobacter aerogenes and Yersenia enterocolitica) were also identified. When initial contamination was low, the gas atmospheres provided an effective means of prolonging the shelf-life of fresh beef steaks.

This study was developed in order to explore chromosomal regions associated with carcass and meat traits in Nellore cattle breed, identifying metabolic and genetic pathways related to its characteristics expression, as well as generate additional phenotypes for future genome association studies, in order to fully describe parameters related to final product quality. Thereunto, 995 bulls were genotyped for more than 770,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), were evaluated for body weight at birth, weight gain at weaning and yearling, conformation, finishing precocity and muscling at weaning and yearling. These traits are correlated, therefore, genomic mapping method were applied in order to identify pleiotropic regions. Results highlighted previously described genomic regions associated to beef cattle weight gain and growth traits, particularly PLAG1 gene, sheltered by the most significantly associated marker region, which in other studies were associated to weight, height and sexual precocity in Nellore breed. To evaluate carcass and meat quality traits, 576 young bulls were evaluated for hot carcass weight, ribeye area, fat thickness, pH 24 hours after slaughter and color parameters (L*, a*, b*), for shearing force, dripping and cooking loss, evaluations were performed for different maturation times (7, 14 and 21 days). Animals were genotyped on two platforms, Illumina® BovineHD BeadChip (HD) and Bovine GeneSeek® Genomic Profiler ™ HD Illumina Infinium® (GGP). Animals genotyped at a lower density (GGP) were imputed to high density chip (HD). Shear force, dripping and cooking loss measures which relates to meat tenderness, were associated to cytoskeleton structure and proteolytic enzymes activity, pointing to serine/serpin enzyme complex as main candidates for regulate proteolysis and muscle fiber structure degradation. Were performed an evaluation of Longissimus thoracis et lumborum intramuscular fat content of 148 animals. It was approached by a human health perspective where samples received a classification regarding fatty acids effects on human organism (\"beneficial\", \"evil\" or \"neutral\"), as well as provided phenotypic information for future genome association studies. The identification of 42 fatty acids and 16 indexes, generated detailed information on these animals\' meat fat composition. Principal component analysis (PCA) results showed that large variation proportion between samples fat composition occurs due to expression differences among desaturase and elongase enzymes. Thus, it is expected that generated data, information and knowledge hereby, can assist animal breeding programs to improve Brazilian herds according meat chain interests.
O presente trabalho foi desenvolvido com o objetivo de explorar regiões cromossômicas associadas à características de carcaça e carne em bovinos da raça Nelore, explorar suas funções em vias metabólicas e gênicas relacionadas às manifestações dessas características, assim como gerar novos fenótipos para futuros estudos de associação genômica, com vistas a descrever, de forma completa, as características relacionadas à qualidade do produto final. Para isso, 995 animais machos não castrados, genotipados para mais de 770.000 marcadores de polimorfismos de nucleotídeo único (SNP), foram avaliados quanto ao peso corporal ao nascimento, ganho de peso à desmama e ao sobre ano, conformação, precocidade de terminação e musculosidade à desmama e ao sobre ano. Como estas características são correlacionadas, foram aplicadas metodologias de mapeamento genômico com o objetivo de identificar regiões pleiotrópicas. Os resultados destacaram regiões do genoma bovino que contêm genes descritos por influenciarem em características de crescimento e ganho de peso nestes animais, com destaque para o gene PLAG1, pertencente à região do marcador mais significativo associado aos fenótipos, anteriormente associado ao peso, altura e precocidade sexual em animais dessa raça. Para acessar atributos de qualidade de carcaça e carne, 576 machos não castrados foram avaliados quanto ao peso de carcaça quente, área de lombo, espessura de gordura subcutânea, pH após 24 horas do abate, cor (L*, a*, b*) e perdas de peso por exsudação e cozimento e força de cisalhamento em diferentes tempos de maturação (7, 14 e 21 dias). Os animais foram genotipados em duas plataformas, Illumina® BovineHD BeadChip (HD) e GeneSeek® Genomic Profiler Bovine HD™ Illumina Infinium® (GGP), sendo os genótipos deste último imputados para o conjunto de maior densidade. As avaliações de perdas de peso por exsudação e cozimento e força de cisalhamento, utilizada para mensurar maciez, revelam a influencia da estrutura do citoesqueleto e da ação das enzimas proteolíticas, apontando o complexo enzimático serinas/serpinas como candidato na regulação do processo de proteólise e degradação da estrutura da fibra muscular. Foi realizada avaliação dos ácidos graxos no músculo Longissimus thoracis et lumborum de 148 animais com vistas à classificação das amostras quanto aos efeitos esperados no organismo humano (\"benéfico\", \"maléfico\" ou \"neutro\"), assim como prover informação fenotípica para futuros estudos de associação genômica. A identificação de 42 ácidos graxos e 16 índices gerou informação detalhada sobre a gordura presente na carne destes animais, sendo observado, por análise de componentes principais (PCA), que a maior variação entre a composição das amostras avaliadas parece ser em decorrência da diferença de expressão das enzimas elongases e dessaturases. Dessa forma, espera-se que os dados, informações e conhecimento gerados por este trabalho, possam auxiliar os programas de melhoramento genético animal a aprimorar o rebanho brasileiro segundo características de interesse da cadeia produtiva de carne.

This thesis examines the excusing and exempting conditions in Strawsonian accounts of moral responsibility. More specifically, it notes some concerns for Strawsonian accounts with regards to exempting individuals on the basis of psychological abnormalities, namely that the excusing/exempting distinction is unclear, and more importantly that treating a person's brain as an entity distinct from the person suggests a dualistic picture of the self that is not consistent with neuroscientific accounts of the brain. If we redraw the distinction to be between external/internal features, and focus on brain processes as the responsible entities for any given action, we can avoid these worries and have a more empirically accurate account of responsibility.
Master of Arts

Sustainable chicken-meat production is a crucial objective, the genesis of which is the increasing demand generated by consumers both in Australia and globally, primarily because of the relative affordability of chicken-meat. Chicken-meat is preferred by Australian consumers, with an annual per capita consumption of 46.9 kg which clearly exceeds that of pork (27.7 kg), beef (19.1 kg) and lamb (5.5 kg). The volume of chicken-meat produced locally has increased by 94% (1.295 versus 0.668 million tonnes) from 2001/02 to 2021/2022, but despite these increases, Australian chicken-meat production will need to increase by about a further 60% between 2020 and 2050 to satisfy local demand. Therefore, sustainable chicken-meat production is an imperative objective. Accordingly, this Thesis investigates five elements that are promoting or have the potential to promote sustainable chicken-meat production. The five elements include (i) exogenous phytate-degrading enzymes, (ii) grain sorghum, (iii) whole grain feeding, (iv) starch and protein digestive dynamics and (v) reduced-crude protein (CP) diets. All five elements are important; nevertheless, the successful development of reduced-CP broiler diets probably is most powerful strategy to promote sustainable chicken-meat production. In reduced-CP broiler diets, soybean meal is partially replaced by synthetic or crystalline amino acids and have the potential to halve the local chicken-meat industry’s dependence on imported, (expensive) soybean meal. In addition, the advantages of reduced-CP broiler extend to less environmental pollution via attenuated nitrogen and ammonia emissions, to bird welfare via improved litter quality with lower incidences of foot-pad lesions, and to flock health which is advantaged by diminished flows of undigested protein into the hind-gut to fuel the proliferation of potential pathogens. However, the successful development of reduced-CP, wheat-based broiler diets is a real challenge.

In the past few decades, the genetic selection programs carried out to increase the production traits of broilers and obtain high-growth rate and breast yield hybrids led to profound changes in muscle structure and metabolism resulting in an increased incidence of abnormalities mainly affecting the Pectoralis major muscle. White-striping (WS), wooden breast (WB) and poor cohesion (PC) defects are of relevant importance. Within this scenario, this PhD thesis aimed at deepening the current knowledge concerning histological features, quality traits and technological properties of broiler pectoral muscles affected by abnormalities, clarifying their peculiarities and similarities as well as investigating the underlying mechanisms involved in their occurrence. Irrespective of the type of abnormality, similar histological alterations including profound degenerative myopathic changes, variable fibers cross-sectional area as well as proliferation of loose connective tissue and fat deposition were observed within the endomysial and perimysial spaces of the Pectoralis major muscles affected by abnormalities. As for quality traits, the abnormal muscles exhibited severely impaired technological properties (reduced water-holding/-binding capacity and altered texture) with the alterations being more pronounced within the superficial layer of the cranial portion of the muscle when more than one abnormality coexist. With regard to chemical composition, an overall higher moisture, fat and collagen content to the detriment of protein and total heme pigments levels were found in abnormal muscles which exhibited altered sodium and calcium homeostasis as well as 204 differentially expressed genes related to several functional categories. In addition, the hardened consistency of the WB cases is only partially counteracted by the endogenous proteolytic processes taking place during the post-mortem period. In conclusion, it is reasonable to hypothesise the existence of a complex network of biological changes responsible for the phenotypic features and the consistent impairment of muscular metabolism of the abnormal muscles.

This thesis is situated within the burgeoning field of literary animal studies. Its aim is to analyse critically the way in which animals-as-meat are represented in South African literature. While meat pervades our lives and literature, there exists very little scholarship that considers literary depictions of meat. The thesis suggests that literary texts can offer useful reflections of the cultural environments in which they are immersed and, furthermore, can encourage what J. M. Coetzee calls the ‘sympathetic imagination’ in relation to animals. The dissertation offers close readings of three primary texts, while also drawing on a broader range of local fiction. Chapter 1 discusses Eben Venter’s Trencherman, with a specific focus on Venter’s use of the plaasroman and literary dystopia. Both genres are important to the novel’s ubiquitous depictions of meat, serving to illustrate some of the destructive, and irreversible, excesses associated with traditional Afrikaner culture in South Africa. Meat consumption is not only depicted as being among these harmful excesses, but also comes to represent them collectively. Chapter 2 offers a reading of Zakes Mda’s The Madonna of Excelsior, paying particular attention to its representation of the intersection between the objectification of women’s bodies and the transformation of animals into meat. In my approach to this text, I make use of Carol J. Adams’ notion of the ‘absent referent’. I suggest that while Mda ostensibly considers the subjugation of both women and animals, the novel does not ultimately demonstrate concern for animals in their own right. The final chapter considers the representation of suffering in Damon Galgut’s The Beautiful Screaming of Pigs. I argue that Galgut’s text is alone among the three primary texts in its attention to the animal suffering inextricably linked to meat production. The novel depicts this suffering as being comparable to human suffering, while simultaneously demonstrating humans’ indifference to their animal fellows. The dissertation concludes that while meat is infused with a range of meanings in South African literature, the most obvious and intrinsic one – the fact of animal death and animal suffering – is the one most often ignored.

The broad objective of this study was to determine the effects of natural antioxidants and thermal treatment on quality of meat from Bonsmara and non-descript cattle. A survey was conducted among 222 consumers in Alice (Fort Hare University community), Eastern Cape Province to determine the level of their awareness on application of antioxidants as preservatives in meat and meat products during storage. Representative samples of Muscularis longissimuss thoracis et lumborum and liver were collected from each carcass of Bonsmara (n=40) and non-descript (n=40) cattle reared on natural pasture to determine the effect of natural antioxidants and thermal treatment on their quality. The results from the survey revealed that 51.35 percent of the respondents had not heard about the use of antioxidant as preservatives in meat products. However, among the remaining respondents (48.65 percent) that were aware of antioxidant and its use as preservative, about 19 percent knew of natural antioxidants, 35 percent synthetic antioxidants while 46 percent had knowledge of both. The results further revealed that the majority of the respondents (82 percent) that had knowledge of natural antioxidants were concerned about the use of synthetic antioxidants in meat and meat products due to their health consequences. The in vitro antioxidant and antibacterial analyses of Bidens pilosa and Moringa oleifera leaf extracts revealed that they contain rich bioactive compounds. Furthermore, the addition of leaf extracts from Moringa oleifera (ML, 0.05 and 0.1 percent w/w) and Biden pilosa (BP, 0.05 and 0.1 percent w/w) to ground raw beef as a natural antioxidant were found to improve the physicochemical, oxidative stability and microbiological qualities of meat compared to the control (meat without extract) and BHT treatment (0.02 percent w/w) during 6 days storage at 40 C. Cattle breed did not have much effect on colour parameters. However, the overall pH of ground beef treated with extracts showed lower values than control and BHT treated beef. Also, ground beef samples containing extracts exhibited (P < 0.05) better colour stability, especially higher redness (a* values), than the control. The formation of TBARS in beef samples treated with extracts was significantly (P < 0.05) lower than the control and BHT treatment. The antibacterial assay of the extracts revealed an appreciable broad spectrum activity against the tested bacteria and microbial counts in ground beef samples compared to control and BHT group. Ground beef treated with plant extracts exhibited lower microbial and lactic acid bacterial counts (P < 0.05) at day 0 and 3 than control samples. Moreover, it was observed that application of sous vides thermal method did not significantly affect the fatty acids and mineral loss in beef and liver across the treatments. However, the total concentration of MUFA was lower in raw liver (20.11±2.38 - 21.08±1.23 percent) than in beef (40.22±1.90 - 42.53±1.29 percent), while total PUFA content were higher in liver (30.73±2.60 - 31.11±1.19 percent) than in beef samples (10.13±3.36 - 11.02±2.74 percent) (p < 0.05). The results also revealed that liver samples from Bonsmara and non-descript cattle had a higher percentage of intramuscular fat content of 4.67 ± 0.53 percent and 4.44 ± 0.53 percent respectively, and fat free dry matter of 27.51 ± 1.05 percent and 25.73 ± 1.05 percent, respectively, than the beef samples (p < 0.05). The concentrations of Mg (52.80±0.22 - 53.70±0.02mg/100g) and Zn (8.90±0.15 - 19.60±0.15mg/100g) were higher in beef than liver samples. The level of Ca (17.00±0.17 - 17.50 ± 0.17mg/100g) in liver was higher than that of beef samples. It was concluded that most consumers preferred the use of natural antioxidants in meat products than synthetic antioxidants due to their health risk. The effectiveness of M. oleifera and B. pilosa leaf extracts on meat quality also revealed that these plants are promising candidates as natural preservatives and their application should be considered in the meat industry. Lastly, findings from this study showed that application of the sous vide technique could protect meat products from nutritional loss during thermal treatment.

The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file. Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on October 2, 2009). Thesis advisor: Dr. Azlin Mustapha and Dr. Fu-Hung Hsieh. Includes bibliographical references.

This thesis extrapolates upon theoretical examinations of meat consumption as linked to masculinity in order to consider how meat consumption may also be connected to dominant themes in Canada’s national foundation as marked by whiteness, multiculturalism, and post-coloniality. I investigate two sets of advertisements – Maple Leaf Canada’s “Feeding the Country” commercial, and Alberta Beef Producer’s Raised Right online campaign – through employing multimodal critical discourse analysis and tenets of Stuart Hall’s theories of representations. In doing so, I argue that meat consumption is depicted in advertising as an ideologically and symbolically loaded practice that seizes upon and re-articulates greater themes of Canadian national identity in a way that denotes the nation as having overcome its racial tensions and colonial history.

Food choice has intrigued generations of scholars seeking insight into the rituals that characterize the cultural and sub-cultural values of various nations and eras. Among the more recent cultural phenomena to influence theories about the body is food choice. Perhaps there is no argumentative issue more pervasive than that of food choice, because everyone must eat. The morsels that people consume are chosen as often as not for their symbolic value. A review of the literature of dietary discourse and representation reveals a gap where studies of vegetarian and vegan identity, mass media, and mass markets are concerned. This dissertation utilizes theories of representation, cultural studies, and discourse analysis to uncover culturally specific attitudes in the marketing of food with regard to vegetable-based diets, the foods that they consist of, and the people who eat them.

The adhesion of seven meat spoilage bacteria to model meat surfaces (thin fat and tendon slices) was studied in a specially designed flow chamber. In general, adhesion was not influenced by the physiological age of the cells and was not correlated with the cell surface characteristics (electrical charge, hydrophobicity) of the organisms. Also, adhesion data did not corroborate the predictions based on changes in the free energy of adhesion, calculated from contact angles and surface tension measurements. A more detailed study of the adhesion of Pseudomonas fluorescens to tendon was subsequently undertaken. Neither physiological activity nor the presence of flagella was found to be essential for adhesion. Selective chemical alterations of the cell surface pointed to no direct implication of carboxyl or amino groups in an adhesive bond with tendon. These groups may participate in adhesion, however, through electrostatic interactions as suggested from the variations of adhesion with ionic strength.

Developing countries are faced with a high incidence of food poisoning outbreaks related to the consumption of meat, with obvious economic consequences. During informal slaughter of animals the threat of food poisoning or transfer of lethal zoonoses such as anthrax, is particularly intense. In 1972 the government legislated “The Abattoir Regulation - Legal Notice No. 27 of 1972”, which mandates slaughtering of animals and meat inspection and control (Government Gazette, 1972). Before that there was no official meat inspection done in the country. Since that time, the legislation has not been updated. The only abattoir was closed in 2003; the country thus has no formal abattoir. Meat is imported and also informally slaughtered and sold illegally. This study investigated the risk of food-poisoning and zoonoses related to the sale of meat slaughtered informally. It included the extent of the illegal and informal market. In Lesotho, informal slaughter for home consumption is legal but the meat may not be sold (Kingdom of Lesotho, 1972). The methods used in this study included investigation of the number and location of outlets for informally slaughtered meat in Lesotho. Samples of meat were taken both at informal markets and from imported meat sold at commercial supermarkets. Multistage random sampling was used where the first stage was the district and the second stage was the butcher shops. As a control, samples of legally slaughtered inspected meat were taken from a supermarket in South Africa. These samples were sent for bacteriological examination which included coliform counts and isolation of possible pathogens. It was found that 40 informal butcheries existed that were selling mainly illegal meat as well as imported legally slaughtered meat. In addition, the commercial supermarkets (n=4) were selling legally imported meat. Geographical coordinates were taken of the existing informal markets and the number of informal butcheries in those markets. This was recorded as a Geographical Information Systems (GIS) map. This map will be used by the veterinary public health and epidemiology sections of Lesotho to monitor informal sales in future, in order to improve the quality of meat sold to Lesotho citizens and prevent food-poisoning by meat products. Samples of meat from local informal butchers (n=100) that were submitted for bacteriological culture (n=100) showed that 63% had coliform counts that were unacceptably high and indicated poor meat hygiene. In comparison, imported meat obtained from animals slaughtered at registered abattoirs in South Africa and transported to supermarkets in Lesotho, had acceptable levels (Total plate count of > 5) It was thus concluded that there is an urgent need for improvement in slaughter and meat inspection methods in both rural and urban areas of Lesotho. The state (both central and local Government) has an important role to play in human and animal health and food safety in the country and strategies must be developed for this. These will include training of veterinary and extension staff as well as butchers, in both the formal and informal markets, on slaughtering procedures and sanitation. In addition, they should facilitate the construction and rehabilitation/upgrading of the existing slaughter slabs in both rural and urban areas of the country, focusing on the main towns not to affect the tourism industry. Lastly, an emphasis should be placed on review of the abattoir regulations, implementation of policies on slaughter procedures and products those that are fit for human consumption, as a way of preventing meat-borne zoonotic diseases, to reduce risks of infection to consumers and to protect meat handlers. Careless handling of waste such as offal, blood and effluent during slaughter can also result in zoonoses and environmental degradation and this should also be addressed. Copyright
Dissertation (MSc (Veterinary Science))--University of Pretoria, 2009.
Paraclinical Sciences
unrestricted

Saudi Arabia’s rapid economic development and the affluence of the country’s citizens are served by both imported and domestically produced meat. Adverse climatic conditions in the desert country preclude large-scale livestock production, however, the country still supplies about half of its meat consumption. This research seeks to identify trends in the Saudi diet over a long period of time, during which the nation was transformed from being a desert based country to a modern economy, that is, from 1985 to 2010. The objective of this thesis is to present a systematic analysis of Saudi Arabia’s meat demand using data for the period between 1985 and 2010 for three types of meat, namely beef, lamb and chicken, as well as fish, under a system-wide framework. To estimate the demand for meat (lamb, beef, and chicken) and fish, economic data were analysed using the Rotterdam econometric models. Also, an import demand model with analysis of future imports has been developed for three types of meat - beef, lamb and chicken. The results gained from the econometric models applied reveal that in Saudi Arabia, the relative consumption of beef, chicken and fish have a positive growth, while lamb has a negative growth. The average relative price impact on beef, chicken and fish are negative, while that of lamb is positive. The expenditure shares of beef, chicken and fish have increased while that of lamb has fallen. The estimation results of the demand system reveal that there is an autonomous trend away from lamb to beef, chicken and fish. The implied income elasticity indicates that beef, lamb and fish are considered luxuries, while chicken is a necessity. The demand for meat products and fish are price inelastic.
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Griffith Business School
Griffith Business School
Full Text

The present study showed the effects of a number of hydrocolloids in terms of adding them dry, pre-hydrated or solubilised and gelled, using unmodified wheat starch, 3 types of carrageenan (kappa, iota and lambda), locust bean gum (LBG), and finally citrus fibre on meat stability, textural properties, and microstructure. The study further elucidated the role of heat induced gelation in texture formation of processed meat products. The finding of the study revealed that the maximum hardness related to the dry state of all hydrocolloids when added to a product containing 65% meat (i.e. 7.4% unmodified wheat starch, 1% LBG and 3% citrus fibre, except the carrageenan treatment, which is related to 2% gelled kappa carrageenan). Furthermore, the elasticity or rubbery texture of the sausages increased with 3% pre-hydrated wheat starch, 1 % dry LBG and citrus fibre and finally 1% solubilised kappa carrageenan with 65% meat. However, ameliorating elasticity of LBG and citrus fibre, which are 1 and 3%, respectively, took place with the dry state. The Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) results showed that starch and carrageenan showed clear irreversible and reversible transitions, respectively, on the timescale of the experiment in the region of 60 ̊C, whereas locust bean gum and citrus fibre showed no transitions. No interaction between carbohydrates and proteins was signalled by the transition temperatures of the unaffected transitions and the addition of enthalpies which was linear. The rheology result indicated that storage modulus (G ́) was greater than the loss modulus (G ̋) during the test (G ́ > G ̋), which implied predominant elastic behaviour of the sample for the whole range of deformation experimented. Finally, confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM) demonstrated that the void space is augmented (visa-a-vis the control sample of 65% meat) after adding dry LBG. However, the size of cavity shrank after adding gelled kappa carrageenan, dry citrus fibre, and dry wheat starch. In all treatments, the fat droplet decreased in mean size in the wake of adding hydrocolloids in the systems. Both of these findings indicate that an increase in batter texture upon the addition of hydrocolloids was sufficient to break up air cells and emulsion droplet, and then had enough strength to maintain the smaller cells droplets. The findings of the study in hand, provide a new approach to meat product manufacturing.

Studies were undertaken to investigate if gastric acidity and iron chelation to a meat component enhance nonheme iron absorption. Cereal meals, with and without added proteins, were gavaged into iron-deficient rats. The role of iron chelation was investigated by adding sodium phytate, an iron chelator implicated with decreased iron absorption, to the meals. The role of gastric acidity was investigated by treating the rats with cimetidine, which inhibits gastric acid production. In rats with normal acid production, beef, pork and chicken enhanced iron absorption when phytate had been added to the meals, suggesting a role for chelation in meat enhancement of iron absorption. However, the enhancement by beef and pork was insignificant in cimetidine-treated rats given the cereal + phytate meals, indicating that gastric acid production also plays a role in meat enhancement of iron absorption. Fish and egg white were sometimes inhibitory to iron absorption and, therefore, did not fit the pattern of enhancement demonstrated by beef, pork, and chicken. In a separate experiment, gastric acidity was not directly altered by the protein source included with cereal meals. No significant effects of the various proteins on iron absorption from cereal + phytate meals were observed in a final experiment involving iron-replete rats. In vitro iron solubilizing capacity of beef, pork, chicken, and egg white was positively correlated with enhanced iron absorption by iron-deficient rats. Studies were performed to 1) investigate if ferric iron bound in complex with iron-solubilizing meat components is absorbable, 2) compare the relative iron-solubilizing capacity of meats, and 3) investigate the physicochemical and compositional characteristics of the meat components responsible for the iron solubilizing capability of meat. Iron-solubilizing components of beef were isolated from pH 2 HCl homogenates into dialysis bags (MWCO, 6-8 K). Radiolabelled iron complexes were then generated using ferric iron and either the ILC (isolated low-molecular-weight components) from undigested beef or ascorbate. The bioavailabilities of radioiron in these complexes or as ferric iron were measured as radioiron absorption into the blood one hour after injection into ligated duodenal loops of rats. Iron absorption values were ascorbate-ferrous complexes > beef ILC-ferric complexes > ferric iron (p < .05). In separate experiments, ILC from 0.1 g of various dietary protein sources (beef, pork, chicken, fish, or egg white) were added to 400 μg ferric iron in pH 2 HCl, the pH raised to 7.2, and soluble iron determined in the supernatant after centrifugation at 2,500 g for 10 min. Iron solubilizing capabilities of ILC were pork > beef > chicken > fish > egg white (p < .05). In a final series of experiments, the compositional and physicochemical characteristics of the ILC from the various dietary proteins were investigated.

The works of creative writing which culminate in this thesis explore themes of everyday trauma, the gendered body as rendered in writing, and writing as propelled by the aural senses above factors such as logic and plot. Dysphoria of identity through gendered, geographical, and institutional means pervades each work in instances that range from the subtle to the all-consuming. Rhythm and intuition bond at the sentence level in each work, rendering a wildness to the pages. Moved by sensation rather than a drive to make something abundantly clear, the revelations of reading arrive at a level of the associative, the dreamy, and the sound of certain syllables and words as juxtaposed with deliberation posing as spontaneity. Grappling with a simultaneous urge to assimilate and to reject societal and geographical cultural norms, there is a fraught tension and a charged friction to the entire thesis herein.

Thesis (MScAgric)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This research study consists of three investigations with regard to ostrich (Struthio camelus var. domesticus) production, meat quality and the processing of ostrich meat into a value added meat product. The first study was conducted in order to establish whether the gradual replacement of soybean oilcake meal with cottonseed oilcake meal (CSOCM) as a protein source in the diet of slaughter ostriches would affect ostrich growth performance and meat quality. A total of 105 ostriches were divided into five feeding groups according to the CSOCM inclusion level: Control (0% CSOCM), 3%, 6%, 9% and 12% CSOCM, and fed with experimental diets from 6 to 13 months of age. As a result of feeding CSOCM, the final live weight and the average daily gain significantly increased in the 12% CSOCM group compared to the other treatment diets. The proximate composition, cholesterol content, mineral and fatty acid profile of the meat remained unaffected. Considering all the results, CSOCM may be used as an alternative protein source to soybean oilcake meal in ostrich nutrition, resulting in decreased feed costs. Secondly, a descriptive sensory analysis, together with chemical and physical measurements, was performed to determine whether the manipulation of the fatty acid composition in the fan fillet (Iliofibularis muscle) as a result of feeding CSOCM would be detected on a sensory level. Two levels of CSOCM were investigated; 0% as a control and 9% CSOCM. No significant differences were found for the physical measurements (cooking loss (%) and shear force) as well as for the pH and proximate composition of the raw fan fillet. The Control group presented a higher (P<0.05) mono-unsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) content in the cooked fan fillet whereas the 9% CSOCM group showed a favourable increased (P<0.05) poly-unsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content when compared to the cooked Control samples. As a result, the poly-unsaturated:saturated fatty acid (PUFA:SFA) ratio in the 9% CSOCM group was also higher (P<0.05). No differences (P>0.05) were found between the treatments for the n-6:n-3 (omega 6 to omega 3) ratio. The 9% CSOCM group had a more intense beef aroma, had a higher level of initial and sustained juiciness as well as increased tenderness (P<0.05). Inclusion of 9% CSOCM resulted in a favourable cooked ostrich fan fillet. Finally, the effect of feeding CSOCM on a processed ostrich meat product was investigated. Fan fillet (Iliofibularis muscle) from 13 month old birds receiving no cottonseed oilcake meal (Control) or 9% cottonseed oilcake meal (9% CSOCM) was used. Olive oil was used as a replacement for pork fat, and warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) meat was used to replace commercial pork meat in the production of a semi dry sausage, cabanossi. Olive oil was included at three levels (0%, 1% and 2%). Six treatments were investigated: Control 0% olive oil, Control 1% olive oil, Control 2% olive oil, 9% CSOCM 1% olive oil, 9% CSOCM 2% olive oil en 9% CSOCM 2% olive oil. The Control and 9% CSOCM ostrich meat did not differ significantly in chemical composition nor fatty acid profile. After smoking and drying the fat content in the cabanossi containing 0%, 1% and 2% olive oil averaged 7.2%, 7.45% and 8.65% respectively. Processed meat products containing less than 10% fat are classified as a low-fat meat product. Olive oil is a mono-unsaturated vegetable oil containing mainly Oleic acid (C18:1n9c), and low quantities of saturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Total mono unsaturated fatty acids in the cabanossi increased from 47.0% to 73.0% of total fat, whilst total saturated fatty acids and total polyunsaturated fatty acids decreased from 40.6% to 19.9% and 11.6% to 6.6% respectively as olive oil increased from 0% to 2%. The inclusion of olive oil at 2% resulted in cabanossi with increased (P<0.05) tenderness, juiciness and cured red meat colour, all factors that appeal greatly to the consumer. Overall flavour was not adversely affected by the inclusion of olive oil. This investigation indicated that the use of CSOCM had no negative effect on the production performance of ostriches whilst a 9% CSOCM inclusion level resulted in meat that was found to be favourable by a trained sensory panel. Furthermore, the use of CSOCM as a feed component also had no negative effect on a processed product (cabanossi) derived from the meat obtained from the birds fed this feed component. The CSOCM used in this investigation had low levels of gossypol (10 to 20ppm) and more research is required on the effect of the use of CSOCM with higher levels of gossypol on the production performance of ostriches.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die studie het bestaan uit drie ondersoeke met betrekking tot volstruis (Struthio camelus var. domesticus) -produksie, -vleiskwaliteit en die vervaardiging van waarde-toegevoegde geprosesseerde volstruis-vleisprodukte. Die doel van die eerste studie was om vas te stel of die geleidelike vervanging van sojaboonoliekoekmeel met katoensaad-oliekoekmeel (CSOCM) as ‘n proteïenbron in die voeding van volstruise, die groeipersentasie en vleiskwaliteit van die Iliofibiularis spier (fan fillet) sal affekteer. ‘n Totaal van 105 volstruise is verdeel in vyf voedingsgroepe volgens die katoensaad oliekoekmeel insluitingsvlak: Kontrole (0% CSOCM), 3%, 6%, 9% en 12% CSOCM. Die onderskeie voedingsgroepe was van ses tot 13 maande ouderdom op die eksperimentele voere geplaas. Die resultate het aangedui dat die voëls in die 12% CSOCM behandelingsgroep ‘n betekenisvolle (P<0.05) toename in finale lewende massa asook gemiddelde daaglikse toename gehad het. Die proksimale samestelling, cholesterol-inhoud, mineraal- en vetsuursamestelling van die vleis was nie geaffekteer deur die insluiting van CSOCM nie. Die CSOCM kan dus wel as ‘n alternatiewe proteïenbron in die voeding van volstruise gebruik word. Laasgenoemde bevinding kan ook lei tot verlaagde voerkostes, aangesien CSOCM heelwat goedkoper is as sojaboon-oliekoekmeel. Die tweede deel van die studie was van ‘n chemiese asook sensoriese aard. ‘n Beskrywende sensoriese analiese is uitgevoer om vas te stel of die manipulering van die vetsuursamestelling in die volstruis fan fillet as gevolg van die CSOCM sensories waargeneem kan word. Die chemiese en fisiese eienskappe van die vleis is ook ondersoek. Twee vlakke van CSOCM inhoud is ondersoek; 0% (as kontrole) en 9% CSOCM. Geen betekenisvolle verskille is gevind vir die fisiese vleiskwaliteit (kookverliespersentasie en taaiheid), asook vir die proksimale samestelling en pH van die fan fillet nie. Die gekookte fan fillet van die Kontrole behandeling het ‘n betekenisvolle (P<0.05) toename in mono-onversadigde vetsure (MUFA) getoon en die 9% CSOCM het ‘n voordelige toename in poli-onversadigde vetsuur-inhoud (PUFA) gehad. Die poli-onversadigde tot versadigde vetsuurverhouding (PUFA:SFA) was as ‘n gevolg ook betekenisvol hoër. Geen verskille (P>0.05) is opgemerk in die omega-6 tot omega-3 poli-onversadigde vetsuurverhouding (n-6:n-3) nie. Met betrekking tot die sensoriese eienskappe het die 9% CSOCM ‘n meer opvallende beesvleis aroma, hoër vlakke van aanvanklike sappigheid en ook sagter vleis in vergelyking met die kontrole behandeling gehad (P<0.05). Insluiting van 9% CSOCM het gelei tot ‘n gekookte volstruis fan fillet van voornemende kwaliteit. Laastens is daar ondersoek ingestel op die vervanging van varkvet met olyfolie in die vervaardiging van ‘n volstruis cabanossi. Chemiese asook sensoriese analises is uitgevoer op die gedroogde en gerookte volstruis cabanossi. Vir die vervaardiging van laasgenoemde produkte is die fan fillet van 13 maande oue voëls van die Kontrole (0% CSOCM) en 9% CSOCM behandelings gebruik. Addisioneel tot die volstruisvleis is daar ook vlakvarkvleis (Phacochoerus africanus) gebruik om die kommersiële varkvleis te vervang. Olyfolie was ingesluit teen drie vlakke (0%, 1% en 2% van die totale mengsel). Ses behandelings was ondersoek: Kontrole 0% olyfolie, Kontrole 1% olyfolie, Kontrole 2% olyfolie, 9% CSOCM 1% olyfolie, 9% CSOCM 2% olyfolie en 9% CSOCM 2% olyfolie. Daar was geen verskille (P>0.05) in die chemiese en vetsuursamestellings van die Kontrole en 9% CSOCM volstruisvleis nie. Na die droging en rooksiklus was die gemiddelde vet-inhoud van die 0%, 1% en 2% olyfolie cabanossi monsters onderskeidelik 7.2%, 7.45% en 8.65%. Geprosesseerde vleisprodukte met ‘n vet-inhoud van minder as 10% word in die kommersiële vleisindustrie na lae vet vleisprodukte verwys. Olyfolie is baie ryk aan MUFA, veral Oleïensuur (C18:1n9c) en dit bevat ook lae hoeveelhede SFA en PUFA. Die totale MUFA inhoud in die cabanossi het toegeneem van 47.0% tot 73.0% terwyl die totale SFA en PUFA onderskeidelik afgeneem het van 40.6% tot 19.9% en 11.6% tot 6.6%, met ‘n olyfolie toename van 0% tot 2%. Die insluiting van olyfolie teen 2% het gelei tot ‘n sagter cabanossi wat meer sappig was met ‘n meer opvallende rooi gekuurde vleiskleur, wat almal eienskappe is wat dié produk meer aantreklik maak vir die verbruiker. Hierdie studie het aangedui dat CSOCM geen negatiewe effek gehad het op die produksie van volstruise nie. Volstruisvleis van die behandelingsgroep wat CSOCM teen 9% van die dieet ontvang het, het wel vleis geproduseer wat as aanvaarbaar aanskou was deur ‘n opgeleide sensoriese paneel. Die gebruik van CSOCM as ‘n voerbestandeel het ook geen negatiewe effek gehad op ‘n geprosesseerde produk (cabanossi) gemaak van die volstruisvleis nie. Die CSOCM wat in die huidige studie gebruik is, het baie lae vlakke van gossypol (10 – 20dpm) gehad en verdere ondersoek is noodsaaklik om die effek van CSOCM met hoër vlakke van gossypol op die produksie van volstruise te bevestig.

The present study focussed its energy on the evaluation of a dielectric pasteurization for fresh meat. This research investigates ways to reduce the bacterial load on raw beef surfaces with microwave or RF energy in combination with different packaging methods and a natural antimicrobial combination.
Sterilized raw beef cores were inoculated with Escherichia coli biotype 1, Pseudomonas D17 and Carnobacterium "845" of a known inoculum. Treatments were imposed to the cores and packaged in either retail or vacuum packaging. The treatments for the full experiment were RF1 (600W-30s, 400W-30s, 200W-60s), RF2 (600W-30s, 400W-30s, 100W-60s), Nisin-lysozyme alone, Nisin-lysozyme/RF1 and Nisin-lysozyme/RF2. Positive and negative control treatments were added to facilitate the comparison. Microbial analysis, pH measurement, L*a*b* colour measurement and sensory evaluation were performed during the storage period to follow the evolution of the meat samples.
No significant reductions (P < 0.05) in bacterial numbers were observed in this study and none of the treatments showed positive results. Therefore the treatments used would not be considered as a good pasteurization treatment for keeping the quality of raw beef. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)