The aim of this work was to compare the methods of malondialdehyde detection, as the main secondary product of the lipid peroxidation process, in meat and meat products. Malondialdehyde measurements were performed by two modified methods, the 2-thiobarbituric acid spectrophotometric method and the reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography in raw, mechanically-deboned chicken meat and in manufactured frankfurters. The malondialdehyde concentrations measured by the 2-thiobarbituric acid spectrophotometric method were found to be overestimated by more than 25% in raw meat and more than 27% in frankfurters in comparison to the results of reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (p < 0.05). The achieved results showed that the presented modified reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography method was more applicable and more accurate for the quantification of malondialdehyde in samples of meat and meat products.

Sixteen cold-adapted reddish-pigmented yeast strains were obtained from environmental samples. According to the PCR-based detection of classical yeast markers combined with phylogenetic studies, the yeasts belong mainly to the genera Rhodotorula, Sporobolomyces and Cystobasidium, all within the subphylum Pucciniomycotina. All strains produced carotenoids within a 0.25–10.33 mg/L range under non-optimized conditions. Noteworthily, among them, representatives of the Cystobasidium genus were found; of particular value are the strains C. laryngis and C. psychroaquaticum, poorly described in the literature to date. Interestingly, carotenoid production with representatives of Cystobasidium was improved 1.8- to 10-fold at reduced temperature. As expected, most of the isolated yeasts biosynthesized extracellular lipases, but within them also one proteolytic and four cellulolytic strains were revealed. We succeeded in isolating strain Cystofilobasidium macerans WUT145 with extraordinarily high cellulolytic activity at 22°C (66.23 ± 0.15 µmol/mg protein·min) that is described here for the first time. Consequently, a set of yeasts capable of producing both carotenoids and extracellular enzymes was identified. Taking into account those abilities, the strains might be applicable for a development of carotenoids production on an agro-industrial waste, e.g., lignocellulose.