Effect of immunological castration management strategy on lipid oxidation and sensory characteristics of bacon stored under simulated food service conditions

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of 1) immunological castration (Improvest, a gonadotropin releasing factor analog-diphtheria toxoid conjugate) management strategy (age at slaughter and time of slaughter after second dose) and 2) sex on lipid oxidation and sensory characteristics of bacon stored under simulated food service conditions. For Objective 1, immunological castration management strategies included 24-wk-old immunologically castrated (IC) barrows 4, 6, 8, or 10 wk after the second Improvest dose (ASD); 26-wk-old IC barrows 6 wk ASD; and 28-wk-old IC barrows 8 wk ASD ( = 63). Objective 2 ( = 97) included IC barrows, physically castrated (PC) barrows, and gilts slaughtered at 24, 26, and 28 wks of age. Bellies from 2 slaughter dates were manufactured into bacon under commercial conditions. Bacon slices were laid out on parchment paper, packaged in oxygen-permeable poly-vinyl-lined boxes, and frozen (-33°C) for 1, 4, 8, or 12 wk to simulate food service conditions. At the end of each storage period, bacon was evaluated for lipid oxidation, moisture and lipid content, and sensory characteristics. Data from both objectives were analyzed using the MIXED procedure in SAS with belly as the experimental unit. For both objectives, as storage time increased, lipid oxidation of bacon increased ( < 0.01), regardless of management strategy or sex. Also, there was no sex or management strategy × week of frozen storage interaction for any traits evaluated ( ≥ 0.25). For Objective 1, lipid content of bacon from IC barrows increased as time of slaughter ASD increased ( < 0.05), regardless of age at slaughter. Additionally, there were no differences in sensory attributes of bacon across management strategies. For the evaluation of sex effects in Objective 2, lipid oxidation was greater ( < 0.05) in IC barrows compared with PC barrows but was not different than gilts ( > 0.05). After 12 wk of frozen storage, lipid oxidation values for IC barrows, PC barrows, and gilts were still below 0.5 mg malondialdehyde/kg of meat, the threshold at which trained panelists may deem a food to be rancid. In conclusion, bacon shelf life characteristics were not altered by the immunological castration management strategy and bacon from IC barrows was similar to bacon from gilts. Therefore, bacon from IC barrows would result in shelf life and sensory quality similar to PC barrows and gilts.

Effect of Salt Inclusion Level on Commercial Bacon Processing and Slicing Yields

“…This was not the case as all levels of salt inclusion oxidized at the same rate and there were no differences between treatments in oxidized odors or flavors. Lipid oxidation of bacon in this study was similar to previous studies (Herrick et al, 2016;Lowe et al, 2014). The threshold range of TBA numbers for detection is approximately 0.05 to 1.0 mg MDA/kg of meat.…”

“…Therefore, bacon slices were randomized to sampling groups such that equal numbers of each treatment by supplier combination were present in each sampling group. One sampling group was then analyzed each day in 30 Lipid oxidation was measured using the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances procedure described by Herrick et al (2016). Lipid oxidation was expressed as mg MDA/ kg of meat and also corrected for lipid content using data from proximate analysis and expressed as μg/g lipid.…”

The Use of Pork from Entire Male and Immunocastrated Pigs for Meat Products—An Overview with Recommendations

“…Still, a lower commercial slicing yield of IC bacon is reported [ 21 , 123 ] due to the lower belly thickness [ 125 ] and lower fat saturation [ 126 , 127 ]. In addition, bacon from IC has been shown to exhibit higher levels of lipid oxidation, but only after long storage times (when frozen for 12 weeks), whereas the oxidation did not exceed sensory thresholds neither it affected normal product shelf life [ 128 ]. Results of the trials on prolonging of the V2-SL interval from 5 to 7 weeks concluded that this management procedure mainly eliminates differences in external appearance (i.e., fatness/leanness), slicing loss and slice cohesion in comparison to SC and may be enough to significantly improve bacon quality [ 123 , 129 ].…”

Aroma and flavor characteristics of commercial Chinese traditional bacon from different geographical regions

“…Gatlin, See, Larick, and Odle () described the flavor and after taste of bacon using attributes such as smoked, sweet, salt, cured fat, cured lean, cured meat/fatty, brown sugar, molasses, and burnt. Herrick et al () described sensory characteristics of bacon stored under simulated foodservice conditions using attributes like saltiness, oxidized odor, oxidized flavor, and off flavor. Acid, skatole, androstenone, smoked, and rancid characters were evaluated by Kathrine, Ellen, Gunilla, Margrethe, and Bjørg ().…”