In this study combined effect of ultrasound-induced acoustic cavitation and microbubbles during meat brining on pork loin (Longissimus dorsi) was evaluated. Cylindrical shape (diameter 15 mm, height 80 mm) pork loin samples were cut and immersed in 200 g L-1 NaCl brine and treated with the following brining methods for 180 min: static brining (SB), ultrasound assisted brining (US) and ultrasound combined with microbubbles in brine (USMB). Ultrasound was generated with 20 kHz frequency, 5,09 W/cm2 maximum intensity and 100 W maximum power. Microbubbles in brine were produced by a gas-liquid mixing pump. Effect of ultrasound and microbbubles on NaCl content and diffusion in pork loin, mass balance, water binding capacity (WBC), protein denaturation and meat tissue microstructure were evaluated. The US and USMB brinings enhanced the NaCl diffusion into meat compared to meat brined under static conditions. The constant diffusion coefficient (D) model precisely described the NaCl diffusion kinetics during brinings. The ultrasound and microbbubles resulted in microscopic pores on the surface of myofibers. Decreasing WBC was observed for all brining methods. Myosin was not detectable in any of the brining methods. Denaturation temperature of actin showed a decreasing tendency with increasing brining time independently the brining methods.

In the present study, common carp (Cyprinus carpio), a highly valuable worldwide commercial fish species, was used as a model. One sample group of fresh, skin-on carp fillets was placed in a bath of acidic electrolyzed oxidizing (AEO) water containing a solution of 100 mg/kg chloride ion concentration for 5 minutes. Another sample group was treated with acidic electrolyzed water and 0.5% lysozyme enzyme solution. Another set of samples were washed after the AEO water treatment. Within the study, a storage test was performed to examine the effect of the new combined treatment on the samples’ shelf-life and quality while kept at 2°C. During the storage period, chemical (chlorate) and microbiological (TVC, mesophilic anaerobic plate count, and Enterobacteriaceae count) tests and sensory evaluation were conducted. The combination of AEO water and lysozyme enzyme showed additional bactericidal efficacy on the surface of the carp fillets, which has never been reported before. Both the AEO water and the combined treatment effectively increased the shelf life of the samples, causing 2.4–3.1 log CFU/g difference compared to the control by the end of the 7-day storage. The measured residual chlorate content exceeded the legal threshold, but washing the samples resulted in values below the theoretical threshold limit. The applied preservation methods did not have an adverse effect on the organoleptic properties of the samples.

In the meat industry, significant time is required for curing, which is determined by the rate of salt and water migration within the meat. The aim of our research was to determine the diffusion rate of salt and water during different curing processes by measuring salt and water content at different times. The diffusion coefficients were determined in three curing processes: dry salting (traditional process), wet curing (industry standard process), and wet curing combined with active ultrasound (innovative process). Three theoretical models were examined to describe the diffusion in meat. The salt diffusion coefficient of a cylindrical loin meat sample (80 mm × Ø15 mm) treated with dry salting was found to be 4.22 × 10⁻¹⁰ m²/s, which increased by one-third when wet curing was applied and doubled when active ultrasound with an intensity of 14.1474 W/cm² and a frequency of 19 kHz was added. The water diffusion coefficient was found to be 2.42 × 10⁻⁹ m²/s in the case of dry salting, which decreased by 75–80% when wet curing was applied. In wet curing supplemented with ultrasound, water diffusion decreases less than in traditional wet curing. Our research has confirmed that active ultrasound can be used as a part of a combined treatment to accelerate curing.

Currently, there is a growing demand for ready-to-eat, prepared, high-quality, preservative-free products. However, the shelf-life of these products is often so short that a relatively high percentage of these products cannot be sold and end up as food waste. In this study, pork loin with different marinades (paprika and herbs) was treated with different high hydrostatic pressures (0 MPa, 300 MPa, 450 MPa and 600 MPa) and a bioactive component (piperine) and then the quality of the meat was examined after 0, 4, 8, 12 and 14 days of cold storage. Changes were monitored using color, pH, texture and microbiological analyses. Both pressure, piperine enrichment, storage time and the interactions of different factors had a significant effect on the quality of the loin samples with different marinades. Due to the denaturation of myoglobin, meat slices were less red and lighter after HHP treatment. The addition of piperine reduced this lightness. The pH increased with increasing pressure and decreased with storage time. HHP treatment significantly increased meat hardness, with samples treated at 600 MPa being 19% harder than those treated at 450 MPa. Microbiological results indicated that HHP at 450 MPa and 600 MPa effectively reduced anaerobic total live plate counts, ensuring satisfactory sensory and microbiological quality throughout storage. Piperine fortification also resulted in a more favorable microbiological status during storage without any perceptible change in quality properties during storage. These findings underscore the effectiveness of HHP and piperine enrichment in enhancing the safety and quality of marinated meats.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of watering before slaughter and different evisceration methods on the quality characteristics of fattened goose liver. A total of randomly selected 60 male Greylag Landaise geese (Anser anser) were used to execute the experiment which had been force-fed during their growing period. In the slaughterhouse, randomized block design was followed and the birds were randomly divided into four experimental groups and half of the them (30 birds) were given 200 ml tap water. During the slaughter bleeding kinetics was measured and after the traditional processing steps (scalding, defeathering, waxing, water cooling, clearing of wax residues, rinsing, feet removal) 50 % of the birds (30 birds) were immediately eviscerated. The other half of the carcasses were eviscerated after 8 hours of cooling. Then pH and hemoglobin content were determined and the livers were vacuum packed and stored at -18 °C for 35 days (5 weeks). During this time color measurement and microbial analysis were taken. Results showed that pH was not influenced by neither the watering nor the evisceration methods. Hemoglobin content was significantly reduced by watering (P<0.001). Cold evisceration was proved to have siginificant effect on the color parameters (P<0.001), however the impact was not immediate, the difference was first detected on day 21. According to microbiological analysis four species were identified but none of them are known to produce hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) which is required to the formation of sulfhemoglobin which compound is most likely responsible for the greenish discoloration occured during the storage. In summary, it can be stated that the evisceration method had a great impact on the color of fattened goose livers and undesirable changes - e.g. surface greening - which commonly occur in case of vacuum packed and frozen stored livers could be prevented by the application of warm evisceration.

In our experiment, the effect of electrical and CO₂ stunning on pork meat quality attributes was studied. A total of thirty PIC337 female pigs were allocated to two equal groups which were stunned electrically (50 Hz, 210 V, 2.6 A, 15 s) or by CO₂ (85 V% CO₂, 15 V% O₂, 90 s) and slaughtered at a commercial slaughterhouse. For 24 h post mortem, the carcass m. gluteus medius (GM) was used to evaluate meat quality attributes such as pH, color, hardness, water holding capacity (WHC), and total pigment content, and meat classification was also carried out. The CO₂ stunning resulted in muscle with significantly lower pH (p < 0.01) and poorer water holding capacity (p < 0.05) compared to electrical stunning. The GM of pigs stunned electrically showed significantly increased lightness (L*) and redness (a*) (p < 0.05) compared to CO₂-stunned. The time course of development of rigor mortis was similar for both stunning methods. Pale, soft, exudative (PSE) or dark, firm, dry (DFD) meat defects were not observed. Based on total pigment content, stunning methods did not significantly affect the amount of removable blood.