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ABSTRACT Consumers are increasingly demanding meat products that are natural and synthetic additive-free. This study aimed to develop a fresh pork sausage without synthetic additives and to evaluate the effects of this formulation on its physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory characteristics throughout its shelf life. Six formulations were prepared: FC = control formulation; F1 = celery extract (0.7 %) and rosemary extract with curry (0.06 %); F2 = celery extract (1 %) and rosemary extract with curry (0.06 %); F3 = celery extract (0.7 %) and rosemary extract with curry (0.1 %); F4 = celery extract (1 %) and rosemary extract with curry (0.1 %); F5 = celery extract (0.85 %) and rosemary extract with curry (0.08 %). The formulations with plant extracts exhibited a lower (p < 0.05) sodium content, and no differences (p > 0.05) were observed in the levels of lipid oxidation compared to FC. No direct relation was observed between the concentration of added celery extract and the residual nitrite content. Fresh sausage with plant extracts demonstrated a microbiological pattern like the control formulation during storage. The sensory acceptance of the formulations with plant extracts was similar to that of FC. The fresh sausages containing plant extracts showed characteristics like those of the conventional product, with these similarities becoming more pronounced throughout storage.

This study produced two gels: one solely using psyllium fiber (GP) and another combining this fiber with linseed oil (GL+P). Both gels replaced 15% and 30% of the animal fat content of salamis. The objective was to evaluate the impact of this lipid reformulation on the technological, nutritional, oxidative, and sensory properties of the salamis. The lipid reformulation did not alter the evolution of pH and lactic acid bacteria during processing. The addition of GL+P did not interfere with the product’s drying process. However, replacing 30% of animal fat with the GP resulted in greater weight loss and a lower final Aw value. The lipid reformulation minimally affected the color of the salamis but significantly enhanced their nutritional profile. This improvement was marked by a decrease in fat content and an increase in protein. Specifically, in the samples with GL+P, there was a rise in linolenic acid content and a reduction in the n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio. Adding GP did not affect the salamis’ oxidative stability and sensory profile. However, substituting 30% of the animal fat with GL+P increased the TBARS values, and volatile compounds derived from lipid oxidation hampered the products’ sensory profiles. A reduction in these negative effects was observed when replacing 15% of the fat with GL+P, suggesting this to be the ideal dosage for balancing the nutritional benefits with maintaining the product’s oxidative stability.

Abstract: The objective of this work was to evaluate the allometric growth, the correlation of the cuts with the half carcasses, and the muscularity index of the leg of ½ Dorper + ½ Santa Inês lambs slaughtered with 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 mm of subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT). Twenty-four non-castrated male lambs were used, being distributed according to their weight into three collective pens. Slaughtering occurred as the lambs reached the SFT predetermined by ultrasound. The half carcasses were weighed, dissected, and separated into five cuts: neck, shoulders, rib, loin, and leg. These cuts were dissected and weighed into muscle, subcutaneous fat, intermuscular fat, and bone. In the shoulders, lambs with 2.0 and 4.0 mm SFT showed early growth. In the rib, this early precocity was observed in lambs with 4.0 mm SFT. The leg showed isogonic growth in lambs with 3.0 and 4.0 mm SFT and was the cut that best correlated with the half carcass, regardless of the SFT. The slaughter of ½ Dorper + ½ Santa Inês lambs with 4.0 mm of subcutaneous fat allows obtaining a better allometric growth of the shoulder, rib, and leg cuts, as well as a better leg muscularity index.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of slaughter body weight on the quantitative characteristics of carcasses and the yield of commercial cuts of young Nellore bulls. Twenty-four non-castrated, 11-month-old, feedlot-fed Nellore bulls were distributed in a completely randomized design, in three treatments: 350 kg, 400 kg or 450 kg of body weight at slaughter (SBW). Slaughter was performed in a commercial slaughterhouse. The data were analyzed by an ANOVA followed by a Tukey test (p ? 0.05). SBW had no relationship with dry matter intake (6.05 kg/day or 75.74 g/kg BW0.75), feed efficiency (22.16) or feed conversion (4.67). Average daily gain was different depending on the SBW. Animal slaughtered at 350 kg had gained 1.17 kg/day, whereas animals slaughtered at 400 and 450 kg had gained 1.49 and 1.47 kg/day, respectively. Cold carcass weight increased with SBW (189.50, 209.33, and 242.39, respectively). Other carcass characteristics, like pH at 48 h (5.75), cold dressing carcass (52.61%), chilling losses (1.79%), fat thickness (5.54 mm), marbling (3.34 points), intramuscular fat (6.68%), longissimus muscle area (63.10 cm2) and sarcomere length (1.60 ?m), were not affected by SBW, but SBW increased cold carcass weight. The treatments had effects on the primary and commercial cut weights. However, the cut yields for the forequarter (39.84%), hindquarter (47.82%) and side-cut (12.34%), and the secondary cuts: chuck (14.38%), hump steak (1.94%), shoulder clod (16.97%), brisket point end (5.56%), neck steak (1.00%), striploin (7.77%), outside flat (5.30%), topside (9.36%), tenderloin (2.16%), flank steak (3.41%), eyeround (2.67%), rump tail (1.20%), rump eye (3.89%), shank (4.44%), knuckle (5.25%) and rump cap (1.40%), were not affected by SBW. SBW did not influence (p > 0.05) the commercial cut compositions for all cuts in the forequarter and hindquarter. Finishing young bulls in a feedlot is a strategy to produce beef with reduced feed costs. After all, the slaughter body weight (350, 400 or 450 kg) influenced the quantitative characteristics of the carcass; however, it did not affect the yield of commercial cuts from young Nellore bulls.