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An important factor in evaluating porcine meat quality is the pH at post-mortem 24 h (pH 24 ). In the current work, we conducted a GeneFishing polymerase chain reaction (PCR)–based screen to identify differentially expressed genes in Berkshire loins with high versus low pH 24 . Total RNAs were extracted from Berkshire loins with high and low pH 24 and subjected to GeneFishing PCR. Four genes were found to be differentially expressed in the high and low pH 24 groups. Semi-quantitative reverse transcription (RT)-PCR confirmed that MYH1 encoding myosin heavy chain 1 was specifically expressed in high pH 24 groups. These results are very useful in establishing the genetic relationship between the composition of muscle fiber type and pH 24 in the Berkshire loin. Key words: GeneFishing TM polymerase chain reaction, myosin heavy chain 1, pork meat quality, post-mortem pH value, pale, soft and exudative.

The use of aluminum sulfate [alum; Al2(SO3)4·14H2O] as top dressing to poultry litter has been proven in reducing ammonia (NH3) volatilization under both laboratory and field tests; however, there has been no information of alum application in mixing methods from poultry litter or rice hulls. The aim of the experiment was to evaluate the effects of alum top dressed or mixed with rice hulls as litter management methods on pH and NH3 emissions. A total of 180 broiler chickens were randomly allocated to 12 pens to a density of 0.07 m2/bird for 5 weeks, creating 4 replicates of 3 experimental treatments with 15 birds per experimental unit as a completely randomized design. The treatments included an untreated control, 100 g of alum (top dressing) and 100 g of alum (mixed)/kg of rice hull. In addition, alum treatment was usually applied by top dressing onto the rice hulls or fully mixed with the rice hulls. During the experimental period, pH and NH3 emissions were significantly reduced by the two different methods of alum amendments (P < 0.05) in the litter over time compared with the controls except for NH3 emissions at 1 through 3 weeks. However, no significant differences (P > 0.05) in pH and NH3 emission were observed between the two different methods with alum for 5 weeks. The reduction in NH3 emission from 100 g of alum top-dressed and 100 g of alum fully mixed with kg of rice hull at 5 weeks was 50 and 51%, respectively. In summary, these results indicate that “mixing” methods of alum as well as top dressing would serve as a suitable method for decreasing NH3 emission, which resulted in lower pH.Key words: Alum, top dressing, mixing, pH, ammonia.

We investigated the effects of rosemary extract (RE), α-tocopherol (AT) and chitosan (CH) added individually or in combination as compared with butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) on microbiological parameters [total viable count (TVC), lactic acid bacteria (LAB), enterobacteria (ENB), pseudomonas bacteria (PSY)], pH and lipid oxidation of emulsion-type sausages stored for 28 days at 4°C. TVC, LAB, ENB, and PSY counts were significantly increased (P0.05) in all microbial counts between AT and control groups during the whole storage period. Overall storage had a significant effect on lowering pH, but no influence of additives on pH values was detected, except for 2and 28 days of storage. During refrigerated storage, CH and its combination, or BHA in emulsion-type sausages was more effective in delaying lipid oxidation compared to RE and AT (P

The effects of dietary mugwort and pine needle powder supplementation on growth performance, serum cholesterol, and meat quality of broilers were evaluated in a 35 days feed trial. 200 one day old broilers were randomly allocated to five dietary treatments (0, 1 and 2% mugwort or 1 and 2% pine needle powder) with four replicate pens of 10 birds per treatment. During the experimental period, growth performance did not differ among treatments (P > 0.05). The additives with mugwort and pine needle showed lower crude fat content of thigh muscle compared with the control (P < 0.05); however, no significant differences were detected for moisture, crude protein and crude ash content of thigh muscle. Compared with the control, total phenol content and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity were significantly increased (P < 0.05) with the inclusion of mugwort and pine needle powder level in the broilers’ diets, whereas pH values decreased (P < 0.05). Serum cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations were significantly decreased (P < 0.05) by the increased mugwort and pine needle powder level in the diet, except for high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol concentrations. For thigh meat color, inclusion of mugwort and pine needle powder decreased L* and b* values and increased a* values in thigh muscle of broilers compared with the controls (P < 0.05). Overall, the present study indicates the beneficial effect of using 1 or 2% mugwort and pine needle powder in reducing serum cholesterol and improving meat quality.Key words: Mugwort, pine needle powder, serum cholesterol, meat quality.