SUMMARY– Phenol, carbonyl and acid determinations were made on layers of bologna that had been smoked during processing. Similar samples were evaluated for intensity of smoke flavor by taste panel. Correlation coefficients between phenols, carbonyls, acids and taste panel evaluation of smoke flavor intensity were 0.81, 0.37 and 0.32, respectively. Thus, phenols appear to be the principal contributor to smoke flavor and aroma.

SUMMARY The effect of sodium nitrite in the curing pickle upon the flavor of the resulting cured and cooked pork roasts was investigated. Paired pork longissimus dorsi roasts were cured with varying amounts of salt, and with or without sodium nitrite. The effect of smoke was also studied. Taste panelists were able to select correctly (P < 0.05 or 0.01) the different sample in triangle tests and indicated that the pork roasts cured with sodium nitrite had more cured pork flavor. Smoke did not mask this flavor, which was different from that attributable to the salt used in the curing pickle.

SUMMARY The emulsifying capacity curves for actin, myosin, actomyosin, and sarcoplasmic proteins were determined under various conditions. The proteins were ranked from greatest emulsifying capacity to least as follows: actin in the absence of salt, myosin, actomyosin, sarcoplasmic proteins (water extracted), and actin in 0.3M salt. Myosin and actomyosin produced emulsions with superior stability; however, at the pH of normal fresh meat (5.6–5.8), the sarcoplasmic fraction produced the most stable emulsions. Actin produced very stable emulsions under all conditions. The amount of protein utilized in the formation of an interface appeared to be related to the stability of au emulsion. NPN compounds were found to have no role in emulsion formation.

SUMMARY Hard‐maple sawdust was sifted on a con‐trolled‐temperature hotplate for smoke production. The acids, total phenols, and carbonyl compounds were determined on the steam‐volatile and non‐steam‐volatile portions of both whole smoke and the vapor phase. Most of the compounds in these groups were found to be steam‐volatile. Several steam‐volatile monocarboxylic acids and monocarbonyl compounds were isolated and identified from smoke. The C1–C10 acids were found to be present in whole smoke, with the C1–C10 acids occurring in the greatest concentrations. Only C1–C10acids were found in the vapor phase of the smoke. The following monocarbonyls were identified in the steam‐volatile portion of whole smoke: 2‐pentanone, valeraldehyde, 2‐butanone, butanal, acetone, propanal, crotonaldehyde, and ethanal. In addition, tentative identification of isovalderaldehyde and methanal was made on the basis of a comparison of chromatographic behavior and absorption spectra of the known and unknown compounds.

The Warner-Bratzler shearing machine has been used by many investigators to measure objectively the tenderness of meat. Results obtained, when compared to judging panel scores, have ranged from very high (3, 4 ) to very low (1) correlation. Hurwicz and Tischer ( 2 ) found that the slope of the line formed by plotting shear force versus time was more nearly constant than was the shear force itself.Most of the work with this instrument has been done by shearing oneinch cores of meat. However, Ramsbottom and Strandine ( 4 ) have reported high correlation between panel scores and shears for one-half inch cores. One-half inch cores are easier to cut without including heavy deposits of connective tissue and fat. Also, more one-half inch cores can be cut from

The factors affecting the tenderness of beef are numerous, and include such diverse items as breeding, feeding and management, anatomy, cellular activity, enzymes, chemical changes, both analytical and physical, and cooking technics. Workers in a number of laboratories have been exploring various of these areas.Beef generally is considered to be tender when first slaughtered, to become less tender with cold storage up to 48 hours, and then gradually to increase in tenderness as the storage period is lengthened. However, previous work by Paul, Lowe, and McClurg (1) indicated that beef cooked by roasting was least tender immediately after slaughter, and became increasingly tender with cold storage. Following the cooking method used by Ramsbottom, Strandine, and Koonz (3), exploratory work by Paul, Bratzler, and Knight (Z), suggested that beef steaks cooked by frying in deep fat were more tender immediately after slaughter than after 24 to 48 hours of cold storage. It was postulated that the slow heating of beef in roasting hastened the development of rigor so that the roast became tough before being completely cooked, while the very rapid heating of the thinner steaks in deep fat frying prevented the development of rigor in the fresh samples. I n order to test this theory, a series was designed to give direct comparisons of tenderness of roasts cooked in the oven with tenderness of steaks cooked in deep fat, after various periods of storage after killing. PROCEDUREThe semitendinosus and biceps femoris muscles from 6 animals were utilized. Two of the carcasses were graded prime, 2 good, and 2 commercial. Each muscle was divided into 3 adjacent pairs of one-inch steaks and three-to four-inch roasts. The 6 pairs of steaks and roasts from each pair of muscles (right and left) were distributed at random over the various storage times of 0, 5, 12, 24, 45-53, and 144-149 hours. The time between stunning the animal and putting the meat on to cook or into cold storage was approximately one hour. After the appropriate period. of storage at 4-7"C., each pair was cooked and sampled. The steaks were fried in deep f a t a t 147°C. to an internal temperature of 63°C. The roasts were cooked in an oven a t 163°C. to the same internal temperature as the steaks. One-half inch cores were sheared on the Warner-Bratzler shearing machine for evaluation of tenderness. Records were kept of cooking times and losses. The p H of the raw meat was determined.Samples for microscope examination were fixed in 10% formalin, sectioned on the freezing microtome, stained with Harris haemotoxylin, and mounted in glycerine jelly."Journal article No. 1373 (N.S.) from the Michigan Agricultural Experiment S t a tion.

No abstract

SUMMARY A procedure developed to fractionate the major nitrogen‐containing components of muscle was utilized to study the relationship of intracellular muscle proteins to tenderness. The study was performed on a group of 20 yearling bulls from two lines of cattle that had been selected for differences in tenderness. The longissimus dorsi muscle contained more total nitrogen per unit of muscle tissue and almost twice as much sarcoplasmic protein as the infra‐spinatus muscle. The longissimus dorsi contained less fibrillar protein and non‐protein nitrogen than the infraspinatus. The following factors were correlated with tenderness as measured by shear and panel: sarcoplasmic protein nitrogen/total fibrillar protein nitrogen; soluble fibrillar protein nitrogen/ total fibrillar protein nitrogen; water released/total water. Fibrillar protein solubility was highly correlated with tenderness (r.=−0.69 for shear and r= 0.59 for panel). An r value of 0.49, significant at the 5% level, was found between water‐holding capacity and tenderness as measured by the shear.