No abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of two protective lactic acid bacteria cultures combined with modified atmosphere packaging on the survival/growth of Listeria innocua 2030c (as a surrogate for Listeria monocytogenes) and on sensory attributes of ready-to-eat ‘lombo’ over storage time. Sliced ‘lombo’, a traditional cured-smoked pork loin, was inoculated with L. innocua 2030c, Lactobacillus sakei ST153 (isolated from ‘salpicão’) and BLC35 culture (with Lactobacillus curvatus, Staphylococcus xylosus and Pediococcus acidilactici; CHR Hansen) as protective cultures. Samples were packed in two modified atmosphere packaging conditions (20% CO2/80% N2 and 40% CO2/60% N2) and stored at 5 ℃ for 124 days. Both cultures led to a reduction of 1–2 log CFU/g of L. innocua 2030c after 12 h; however, at the end of storage only Lb. sakei ST153 maintained this antilisterial effect, which was more evident at 40% CO2/60% N2. The influence of cultures addition and modified atmosphere packaging conditions on the sensory characteristics of the product were not significant. Thus, Lb. sakei ST153 combined with modified atmosphere packaging is a strong candidate to be used in a biopreservation strategy maintaining the traditional sensory quality of cured-smoked pork products and increasing their safety with respect to Listeria spp.

This study aimed to determine the efficacy of a finishing diet added with sugar beet pulp to reduce backfat skatole of entire male pigs, using the optimised high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method. The study comprised 72 males Pietrain (Large White × Landrace), divided into two groups of 36 animals each. Pigs in group A (treatment) were fed a supplemented formula (addition of 10 % beet pulp). while animals in group B (control) received a commercial feed, both for a period of 14 days before slaughter. The isocratic HPLC method achieved the chromatographic separation of indolic compounds in approximately 3 min.Skatole was significantly lower (p = 0.002) in group A, showing that beet root supplementation reduced skatole levels in pig fat. In addition, the optimised HPLC method was reliable, less timeconsuming, and showed a resolution suitable for small amounts of skatole.

No abstract

This study aims to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of two protective cultures combined with different modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) systems on Listeria innocua growth in sliced ready-to-eat pork loin, a Portuguese traditional cured-smoked product (Lombo). Two protective lactic acid (LAB) cultures -Lactobacillus sakei ST153 and BLC35 (CHR Hansen) were tested for their ability against L. innocua 20130c growth (as a surrogate for L. monocytogenes) in sliced "lombo" packed in two MAP conditions, (20%CO 2 /80%N 2 and 40%CO 2 /60%N 2 ) and stored at 5 o C. The influence of MAP and protective cultures in the sensory characteristics of the product was also evaluated by semi-trained panel of fifteen judges. The MAP affected the growth of L. innocua, the Listeria population decreasing 3 log CFU/g after 120 days of storage at 5 o C. In samples containing protective cultures a reduction of 1-2 log CFU/g in counts of L. innocua was observed after 12 hours. At the end of storage results indicated that L. sakei ST 153 was more efficient than BLC35 culture on inhibiting L. innocua growth and this inhibition was enhanced by MA (40%CO 2 /60%N 2 ). Results of sensory evaluation showed that oiliness, hardness, succulence, and characteristic taste attributes of "lombo" decreased during storage whereas the bitter taste increased in both LAB applications and no significant differences between LAB cultures or MAP conditions were found.