Purpose: Oxidative rancidity is a major problem in chicken meat because of its higher content of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Besides this, microbial contamination is also one of the major problems of chicken meat which leads to deterioration in quality during storage. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate anti-microbial and anti-oxidant effects of various blends of essential oils (EOs) on the quality of emulsion-based (ready-to-eat) chicken sausages.Design/methodology/approach: Sausages were incorporated with optimum level of four different blends of EOs containing six different EOs (Clove oil, Holybasil oil, Thyme oil, Cassia oil, Ajowan oil and Beetel oil), namely, Blend-1 (0.25 per cent), Blend-2 (0.25 per cent), Blend-3 (0.25 per cent) and Blend-4 (0.125 per cent); vacuum packaged and stored at −18±1°C for 60 days. Duplicate samples were taken for each parameter, and three trials were conducted for each experiment, total being six observations (n=6) for consistency of the results.Findings: Significant decrease (p<0.05) in pH of control products was observed at each interval of storage period; however, in case of treatment products, significant decrease (p<0.05) was noticed from day 30 onwards. Blend-2 was observed with significantly lower (p<0.05) thio-barbituric acid reacting substances followed by Blend-1. Significantly lower (p<0.05) total phenolics content was observed in Blend-4 products as compared to other treatments. Regarding DPPH activity, control products showed significant decrease (p<0.05); however, in case of treatment products, DPPH activity showed significant (p<0.05) decrease after day 15 of storage. Microbial count increased with progressive storage period; however, the counts were well below the permissible limit of frozen meat products. All the blend incorporated products received very good sensory scores in consistent manner.Practical implications: The work under this study would be very useful for the meat processing industries dealing with the perishable meat products. Use of natural anti-oxidants will also restore faith towards the consumers who are becoming more health conscious day by day.Originality/value: The research work is original.

Purpose: Flaxseed is considered as a source of functional ingredients because it contains alpha-linolenic acid and high amount of dietary fiber which provides potential health benefits. Therefore, this paper aims to evaluate the effect of flaxseed flour on the quality of mutton nuggets.Design/methodology/approach: Mutton nuggets were incorporated with three different levels of hydrated flaxseed flour (1:1), namely, 4, 8 and 12 per cent to optimize the level of incorporation. Detailed profile analysis was carried out to study various physico-chemical parameters, texture profile analysis and color values in the product with optimum level and compared with control product.Findings: There was no significant difference (p> 0.05) in sensory attributes of product with 4 and 8 per cent level of incorporation except for binding; however, significantly lower (p< 0.01) scores were observed for 12 per cent incorporation level. On the basis of sensory scores, 8 per cent level of incorporation was adjudged as optimum. Incorporation of flaxseed flour resulted in significantly lower (p< 0.01) moisture content, but higher (p< 0.01) fat and dietary fiber content. Texture profile analysis showed increased hardness of the product but resulted in decreased springiness and chewiness parameters. Incorporation of flaxseed flour significantly increased (p< 0.01) redness and yellowness of the product which improved overall acceptability.Originality/value: The research work is original.

The ability to rapidly detect pathogens in food is important from public health and food safety reasons. Traditional culture-based detection methods tend to be laborious, time consuming, technically demanding and may be limited due to their low sensitivity. Rapid detection methods for foodborne pathogens should be specific and sensitive to detect pathogens in low numbers. Sensitivity is important because a single pathogen present in food has the potential risk to cause infection. PCR and Real-time PCR are rapid, sensitive, and specific but require specific instruments and laboratory set-up. In the present study, a simple loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay was developed for rapid detection of Staphylococcus aureus. The LAMP assay was found to be ten times more sensitive than traditional end-point PCR with analytical sensitivity of 0.56 pg/μl and 5.6 pg/μl of DNA, respectively. In spiked chevon samples inoculated with S. aureus, the detection limit of LAMP and PCR assay was 3.3 × 10⁵ CFU/g and 3.3 × 10⁶ CFU/g, respectively, without enrichment. After enriching the samples for 6 h, the detection limit improved to 3.3 × 10² CFU/g and 3.3 × 10⁴ CFU/g, respectively, indicating LAMP to be 100-fold more sensitive than PCR. The detection limit further improved to 3.3 CFU/g of meat after enrichment of 12 h. The developed LAMP was also found to be suitable when evaluated on field samples. The present study reports a simple LAMP assay for rapid visual detection of S. aureus which has potential for use in resource limited settings.