Food fat content is one of the most controversial factors from a consumer’s point of view. Aim: (1) The trends in consumer attitudes towards pork and the fat and meat compositions in Duroc and Altai meat breeds and Livny and Mangalitsa meat and fat breeds were studied. (2) Methods: Netnographic studies were used to assess Russian consumer purchasing behavior. Protein, moisture, fat, backfat fatty acid content from pigs, longissimus muscles, and backfat from (A) Altai, (L) Livny, and (M) Russian Mangalitsa breeds were compared with those from (D) Russian Duroc. Raman spectroscopy and histology were applied to the backfat analysis. (3) Results: The attitude of Russian consumers to fatty pork is contradictory: consumers note its high fat content as a negative factor, but the presence of fat and intramuscular fat is welcomed because consumers positively associate them with better taste, tenderness, flavor, and juiciness. The fat of the ‘lean’ D pigs did not show a “healthy” fatty acid ratio, while the n-3 PUFA/n-6 PUFA ratio in the fat of the M pigs was the best, with significant amounts of short-chain fatty acids. The highest UFA content, particularly omega 3 and omega 6 PUFA, was found in the backfat of A pigs with a minimum SFA content. The backfat of L pigs was characterized by a larger size of the adipocytes; the highest monounsaturated and medium chain fatty acid contents and the lowest short-chain fatty acid content; the ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 was 0.07, and the atherogenicity index in L backfat was close to that of D, despite the fact that D pigs are a meat type, while L pigs are a meat and fat type. On the contrary, the thrombogenicity index in L backfat was even lower than the D one. (4) Conclusions: Pork from local breeds can be recommended for functional food production. The requirement to change the promotion strategy for local pork consumption from the position of dietary diversity and health is stated.

The global trend towards conscious consumption plays an important role in consumer preferences regarding both the composition and quality of food and packaging materials, including sustainable ones. The development of biodegradable active packaging materials could reduce both the negative impact on the environment due to a decrease in the use of oil-based plastics and the amount of synthetic preservatives. This review discusses relevant functional additives for improving the bioactivity of biopolymer-based films. Addition of plant, microbial, animal and organic nanoparticles into bio-based films is discussed. Changes in mechanical, transparency, water and oxygen barrier properties are reviewed. Since microbial and oxidative deterioration are the main causes of food spoilage, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of natural additives are discussed, including perspective ones for the development of biodegradable active packaging.

Raman spectroscopy (vibrational spectroscopy) proved to be an effective analytical approach in the field of geology, semiconductors, materials and polymers. Over the past decade, Raman spectroscopy has attracted the attention of researchers as a non-destructive, highly sensitive, fast and eco-friendly method and has demonstrated the unique capabilities of food analysis. The use of Raman spectroscopic methods (RSMs) to assess the quality of meat and finished products is rapidly expanding. From the analysis of one sample, you can get a large amount of information about the structure of proteins, the composition of fatty acids, organoleptic parameters, autolysis and spoilage indicators, authentication of raw materials, technological properties. An important advantage of the method is the comparability of the results obtained with the data of traditional analytical methods. Traditional methods of determining the quality of meat are often time-consuming, expensive and lead to irreversible damage to a sample. It is difficult to use them in production conditions directly on the meat processing lines. Technological advances have made it possible to develop portable Raman spectroscopes to use directly in production. The article presents the basic principles of Raman spectroscopy, system atizes the results of the use of RSMs for the analysis of meat quality from different types of slaughter animals and provides tools for analyzing the data of the obtained spectra. Raman spectra have many dependent variables, so chemometric assays are used to work with them. Literature analysis has shown that currently there is no unified database of meat spectra in the world, standardized protocols for conducting research and processing the obtained results. In Russia, the use of RSMs is a new,

According to the recent data, there are 4–5-local pig breeds left in Russia by now. Livni is among them. This breed is characterized by high fat content. Back fat has been analyzed earlier. We aimed to assess fat morphometrics from other localizations in pigs. Sacral, axillary, and perirenal fat samples from 6-month-old Duroc and Livni pig breeds were analyzed using morphological and Raman-based techniques. Livni adipocytes were characterized by dense packing with a polyhedron-like structure. In Duroc fat, they were more rounded (spherical). A “two-phase” cell disperse was identified in all samples. Fat cells in Livni pigs were bigger than those in the Duroc breed: 70–102, 15–18, and 26% for sacral, axillary, and perirenal locations. Differences in the intensity of the Raman signal between the samples were found: in the samples of subcutaneous adipose tissue, more intense peaks were observed, which are responsible for unsaturation; the samples of Livni axillary fat were characterized by greater unsaturation than sacral fat. Livni and Duroc adipocytes differ from each other in form and size and the difference depends on location. Pork fat from local breeds is expected to have potentially more health protecting (for animals) and health promoting (for consumers) properties.

A unique muscle of pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) is m. semitendinosus, which contains the “red” (dark) part located mainly in the depth of the leg cut and the “white” (light) part located in the close proximity to the subcutaneous fat layer. Differences in the characteristics of its “red” and “white” parts can exert a significant effect on quality and economic indicators of meat products. The aim of this research was to study histological features of the microstructure and technological properties of muscle tissue from different parts of m. semitendinosus, obtained from slaughter pigs of Russian production. M. semitendinosus was excised from chilled porcine carcasses (N=20) 24 hours after slaughter in the process of deboning. Histological examination showed that the dark part of the muscle was characterized by a higher package density of fibers, higher number of capillaries and higher sarcomere length. On the contrary, the light part was characterized by a higher diameter of muscle fibers. Analysis of muscle fiber types showed that the proportion of type I, intermediate and type IIb fibers was higher by 9.3, 5.2 and 4.1%, respectively, in the dark part. Significant differences between the dark and light parts of m. semitendinosus were revealed in terms of the number and size of giant fibers: the light part was characterized by a larger number (by more than 5 times) of giant fibers with the fibers of a larger size (almost by 11%). The samples of minced meat from the dark and light parts showed significant (р<0.05) differences in the mean values of lightness, redness and yellowness (L*, a* and b*) by 6.00, 4.68 and 3.01 units, respectively, in raw samples, and by 6.53, 2.99 and 1.81, respectively, after curing with the nitrite mixture and cooking (р<0.05). The dark part of m. semitendinosus had higher pH values (р<0.05) both for raw and cooked samples. The consistency of the samples from the light part was less elastic, looser and more crumbly than that in the samples produced from the dark part of m. semitendinosus, which was confirmed by the structural-mechanical investigations. Therefore, this study showed significant differences between the dark and light parts of m. semitendinosus by microstructural and functional-technological characteristics. Significant variability by muscle fiber diameter, which was observed in the light part of this muscle, apparently should be taken into account in breeding work and quality assessment of pork from slaughter animals.

Статья посвящена возможностям применения искусственных нейронных сетей (ИНС), которые представляют собой математическую модель, а также ее программное или аппаратное воплощение, построенную по принципу организации и функционирования сетей нервных клеток живого организма. Сверточные нейронные сети устроены наподобие зрительной коры головного мозга и достигли большого успеха в распознавании изображений, они умеют концентрироваться на небольшой области и выделять в ней важные особенности. Отмечено широкое использование ИНС в медицине для оценки рентгенограмм, уровня артериального давления и индекса массы тела пациентов по анализу их сетчатки. Перспективным является применение ИНС в пищевой промышленности для осуществления входного контроля качества сырья. В мировой практике применяют разные методы дистанционного контроля сырья, для этого в основном используют приборы на основе ультразвукового сканирования. Такие приборы и системы анализа осуществляют контроль сырья по соотношению тканей мяса (мышечной, соединительной, жировой) в туше или полутуше, не затрагивая структуру тканей, не проводят оценку качества на клеточном (микроструктурном) уровне. Установлено, что структура мышечной ткани (диаметр мышечных волокон, сохранность клеточных элементов, порозность ткани, целостность мышечных волокон) отражает качество сырья, его термическое состояние. Начата работа по созданию экспертной системы контроля качества мясного сырья на микроструктурном уровне с использованием современных интеллектуальных технологий (ИНС) и компьютерного зрения. Данное направление является актуальным и социально-значимым в развитии мясной промышленности, так как позволит существенно ускорить процесс анализа качества мясного сырья в исследовательских лабораториях мясоперерабатывающих предприятий и испытательных центрах и повысить объективность получаемых результатов.