The Impact of Pre-Slaughter Stress on Beef Eating Quality

The study evaluated the relationship between pre-slaughter stress, plasma biomarkers and consumer-evaluated eating quality of pasture raised beef cattle (n = 488). The design tested steer only, heifer only and mixed sex cattle with a comparison of direct kill versus a 14 day rest period in abattoir holding paddocks prior to slaughter. Experiment One sourced cattle from four farms and tested shipping and road transport. Experiment Two sourced cattle from four farms and tested a commercial saleyard pathway. The impact on treatment on untrained consumer eating quality scores were tested on five muscle groups, m. psoas major, m. longissimus dorsi lumborum, m. biceps femoris, m. semitendinosis, and m. infraspinatus. Across all muscles, a two-week rest period had the biggest improvement in sensory score. Mixed groups scored lower in the outside muscle than non-mixed groups. However, the mixing response was inconsistent in the eye round muscle and not significant in the other muscles. Plasma glucose and L-lactate indicated a marked acute stress response at slaughter with a small detrimental impact on consumer score. The muscle damage enzyme markers creatine kinase (CK) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were strongly associated with a lower meat quality score (MQ4). Neither β-hydroxybutyrate (βHB) nor non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) were associated with MQ4, suggesting that fat mobilisation does not impact consumer sensory score.

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Influence of Kiwifruit Extract Infusion on Consumer Sensory Outcomes of Striploin (M. longissimus lumborum) and Outside Flat (M. biceps femoris) from Beef Carcasses

Foods ◽

10.3390/foods8080332 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (8) ◽

pp. 332 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Lees ◽

Konarska ◽

Tarr ◽

Polkinghorne ◽

McGilchrist

Keyword(s):

Biceps Femoris ◽

Mixed Effects ◽

Eating Quality ◽

Linear Mixed Effects Model ◽

Consumer Evaluations ◽

Linear Mixed Effects ◽

Protease Enzyme ◽

Beef Carcasses ◽

Longissimus Lumborum ◽

The Impact

Actinidin is a cysteine protease enzyme which occurs in kiwifruit and has been associated with improved tenderness in red meat. This study evaluated the impact of actinidin, derived from kiwifruit, on consumer sensory outcomes for striploin (M. longissimus lumborum) and outside flat (M. biceps femoris). Striploins and outside flats were collected from 87 grass-fed steers. Carcasses were graded to the Meat Standards Australia (MSA) protocols. Striploins and outside flats were then dissected in half and allocated to one of the following two treatments: (1) not infused (control) and (2) infused with a kiwifruit extract (enhanced), and then prepared as grill and roast samples. Grill and roast samples were then aged for 10 or 28 days. Consumer evaluations for tenderness, juiciness, flavor, and overall liking were conducted using untrained consumer sensory panels consisting of 2080 individual consumers, in accordance with the MSA protocols. These scores were then used to calculate an overall eating quality (MQ4) score. Consumer sensory scores for tenderness, juiciness, flavor, overall liking, and MQ4 score were analyzed using a linear mixed-effects model. Kiwifruit extract improved consumer scores for tenderness, juiciness, flavor, overall liking, and MQ4 scores for striploins and outside flat (p < 0.05). These results suggest that kiwifruit extract provides an opportunity to improve eating experiences for consumers.

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The impact of processing on sensory and objective measurements of sheep meat eating quality

Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1071/ea03195 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 45 (5) ◽

pp. 561 ◽

Cited By ~ 89

Author(s):

J. M. Thompson ◽

D. L. Hopkins ◽

D. N. D'Souza ◽

P. J. Walker ◽

S. R. Baud ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Electrical Stimulation ◽

Biceps Femoris ◽

Eating Quality ◽

Sensory Testing ◽

Meat Eating ◽

Sheep Meat ◽

Per Se ◽

The Impact ◽

Processing Factors ◽

Age Category

The impact of processing factors on sheep meat eating quality was investigated in an experiment in which stimulation (stimulation and no stimulation), chilling rate (fast and slow chilling) and carcass suspension (tenderstretch and normally hung by Achilles tendon) treatments were overlaid on 80 lamb and 40 mutton carcasses processed over 2 days, at 2 different abattoirs. Within each carcass, 3 muscles (M. longissimus thoracics et lumborum, biceps femoris and serratus ventralis) were collected from both sides and aged for 2 of 3 ageing periods (2, 5 or 14 days), before sensory testing for tenderness, juiciness, like flavour and overall liking, using a consumer taste panel. Processing treatments of stimulation and chilling were variable in their effect on the rates of pH and temperature decline and temperature at pH 6 (temp@pH6), between the 4 slaughter groups. Therefore chilling rate and electrical stimulation were considered as tools by which temp@pH6 could be manipulated, rather than as treatment effects per se. Age category (lamb or mutton) had the largest impact on tenderness score, followed by muscle, ageing and carcass suspension. There were significant interactions for tenderness and overall liking scores between muscle × ageing, age category × muscle and carcass suspension × muscle (P<0.05). The magnitude of the tenderstretch advantage in sensory scores was a function of temp@pH6. In normally hung carcasses, the highest sensory scores were evident at about 21°C temp@pH6, with a decrease in sensory scores at high (>30°C) or low (<10°C) temp@pH6. There was a tendency for sensory scores (particularly for the like flavour score) to decline for the biceps femoris when it was stored for extended periods (14 days).

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Effect of postmortem tenderization strategies (pre-tumbling, blade tenderization, moisture enhancement) on processing yield parameters and eating quality of selected hip and loin muscles from youthful and mature beef carcasses

Translational Animal Science ◽

10.1093/tas/txab139 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Z Pietrasik ◽

Phyllis J Shand

Keyword(s):

Gluteus Medius ◽

Biceps Femoris ◽

Eating Quality ◽

Phosphate Solution ◽

Processing Strategies ◽

Beef Carcasses ◽

Blade Tenderization ◽

Longissimus Lumborum ◽

The Impact

Abstract Several muscles from mature beef carcasses have been identified as failing to provide adequate tenderness required for a satisfactory consumer eating experience. Postmortem processing strategies can help improve the tenderness and subsequent eating quality of mature beef muscles. The current study was undertaken to investigate the impact of processing strategies (blade tenderization [BT], pre-tumbling [PT], and moisture enhancement [ME]), alone and in combination, on processing yield and eating quality-related parameters of selected loin and hip muscles (gluteus medius [GM], longissimus lumborum [LL], semimembranosus [SM], and biceps femoris [BF]) from youthful and mature beef cattle. Results indicate that muscles from mature beef were inherently less tender (P < 0.05), but some tenderization procedures produced meat that was similar in tenderness to that of youthful cattle. Of the different tenderization strategies evaluated, BT followed by ME (injection of a salt/phosphate solution) was the most effective strategy for improving (P < 0.05) tenderness of tougher muscle cuts such as BF and SM. Moisture enhancement alone improved tenderness (P < 0.05) and juiciness (P < 0.01) of SM, GM and LL, but with the exception of samples tenderized prior to injection, was not effective (P > 0.05) in BF muscles. No additional tenderization of GM and LL samples was observed (P > 0.05) by combining PT or BT with ME. Combining PT or BT with ME; however, was effective (P < 0.05) to control the increased purge loss observed following ME treatment in SM and LL muscles. Pre-tumbling as a single treatment was ineffective (P > 0.05) in all of the muscles, and only treatments that included BT were sufficient to affect an increase (P < 0.05) in tenderness of BF.

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The impact of acute stress on the neural processing of food cues in bulimia nervosa: Replication in two samples.

Journal of Abnormal Psychology ◽

10.1037/abn0000242 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 126 (5) ◽

pp. 540-551 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Brittany Collins ◽

Lauren Breithaupt ◽

Jennifer E. McDowell ◽

L. Stephen Miller ◽

James Thompson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bulimia Nervosa ◽

Acute Stress ◽

Neural Processing ◽

Food Cues ◽

Two Samples ◽

The Impact

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Assessment of Spatiotemporal Peak Shift of Intra-Urban Transportation Taking a Case in Bangkok, Thailand

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13126777 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (12) ◽

pp. 6777

Author(s):

Masanobu Kii ◽

Yuki Goda ◽

Varameth Vichiensan ◽

Hiroyuki Miyazaki ◽

Rolf Moeckel

Keyword(s):

Developing Countries ◽

Travel Time ◽

Demand Management ◽

Likelihood Estimation ◽

Road Transport ◽

Peak Shift ◽

Time Shift ◽

Peak Time ◽

Management Scenarios ◽

The Impact

Reducing congestion has been one of the critical targets of transportation policies, particularly in cities in developing countries suffering severe and chronic traffic congestions. Several traditional measures have been in place but seem not very successful. This paper applies the agent-based transportation model MATSim for a transportation analysis in Bangkok to assess the impact of spatiotemporal transportation demand management measures. We collect required data for the simulation from various data sources and apply maximum likelihood estimation with the limited data available. We investigate two demand management scenarios, peak time shift, and decentralization. As a result, we found that these spatiotemporal peak shift measures are effective for road transport to alleviate congestion and reduce travel time. However, the effect of those measures on public transport is not uniform but depends on the users’ circumstances. On average, the simulated results indicate that those measures increase the average travel time and distance. These results suggest that demand management policies require considerations of more detailed conditions to improve usability. The study also confirms that microsimulation can be a tool for transport demand management assessment in developing countries.

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Modular Approach to Ultra-fast Charging Stations

Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology ◽

10.1007/s42835-021-00757-x ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Carola Leone ◽

Michela Longo

Keyword(s):

Impact Analysis ◽

Road Transport ◽

Modular Approach ◽

Long Distance ◽

Charging Infrastructure ◽

Charging Station ◽

Fast Charging ◽

Modular Architectures ◽

The Impact ◽

Fast Charging Station

AbstractRoad transport electrification is essential for meeting the European Union's goals of decarbonization and climate change. In this context, an Ultra-Fast Charging (UFC) system is deemed necessary to facilitate the massive penetration of Electric Vehicles (EVs) on the market; particularly as medium-long distance travels are concerned. Anyway, an ultra-fast charging infrastructure represents the most critical point as regards hardware technology, grid-related issues, and financial sustainability. Thus far, this paper presents an impact analysis of a fast-charging station on the grid in terms of power consumption, obtained by the Monte Carlo simulation. Simulation results show that it is not economical convenient size the assumed ultra-fast charging station for the maximum possible power also considering its high impact on the grid. In view of the results obtained from the impact analysis, the last part of the paper focuses on finding a method to reduce the power installed for the DC/DC stage while keeping the possibility for the electric vehicle to charge at their maximum power. To achieve this goal a modular approach is proposed. Finally, two different modular architectures are presented and compared. In both the solutions, the probability of having EVs charging at limited power is less than 5%.

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A Comparative Analysis of the Government and NGOs in Delivering Quality Services for the Rural People of Pakistan: Community Perspectives

Asia-Pacific Journal of Rural Development ◽

10.1177/1018529120977260 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (1-2) ◽

pp. 203-225

Author(s):

Mohsin Khan ◽

Jetnor Kasmi ◽

Abdul Saboor ◽

Iftikhar Ali

Keyword(s):

Drinking Water ◽

Service Delivery ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Public Health Education ◽

Road Transport ◽

Extension Services ◽

Rural People ◽

Basic Services ◽

The Government ◽

The Impact

Often the government and the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are criticised for their poor performances in delivering services particularly in rural areas. However, there has been limited research on the assessment of their relative performances in service delivery as well as on the perceptions of people on the quality of such service delivery. This study examines the relative performances of NGOs and the governmental development interventions that provide basic services including public health, education, drinking water and sanitation. The study explains the impact of agricultural extension services and infrastructure such as access to roads and markets on the rural people and measures the satisfaction level of the rural community. For this purpose, 225 households (HHs) in 8 villages of Phalia Tehsil, district Mandi Bahauddin, Punjab, Pakistan were first surveyed in 2010 and then in 2014 using a structured questionnaire. The findings reveal different satisfaction levels of HHs, with most of them expressing less satisfaction on government service delivery compared with NGOs. They reveal satisfaction over the performance of NGOs in health, drinking water supplies and agriculture extension services. Further, the study shows an increasing satisfaction of people on access to road, transport, agri-market and price of agri-commodities by the government.

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Structural Changes in French VF Treatment Wetland Porous Media during the Rest Period: An Ex Situ Study Using X-ray Tomography

Water ◽

10.3390/w13030389 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 389

Author(s):

German Dario Martinez-Carvajal ◽

Laurent Oxarango ◽

Jérôme Adrien ◽

Pascal Molle ◽

Nicolas Forquet

Keyword(s):

Porous Media ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Rest Period ◽

Treatment Wetlands ◽

Ex Situ ◽

Initial Value ◽

Treatment Wetland ◽

X Ray ◽

The Impact ◽

Deposit Layer

Clogging constitutes a major operational issue for treatment wetlands. The rest period is a key feature of French Vertical Flow (VF) treatment wetlands and serves to mitigate clogging. An ex-situ drying experiment was performed to mimic the rest period and record structural changes in the porous media using X-ray Computed Tomography (CT). Samples containing the deposit and gravel layers of a first stage French VF treatment wetland were extracted and left to dry in a control environment. Based on CT scans, three phases were identified (voids, biosolids, and gravels). The impact of the rest period was assessed by means of different pore-scale variables. Ultimately, the volume of biosolids had reduced to 58% of its initial value, the deposit layer thickness dropped to 68% of its initial value, and the void/biosolid specific surface area ratio increased from a minimum value of 1.1 to a maximum of 4.2. Cracks greater than 3 mm developed at the uppermost part of the deposit layer, while, in the gravel layer, the rise in void volume corresponds to pores smaller than 2 mm in diameter. Lastly, the air-filled microporosity is estimated to have increased by 0.11 v/v.

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The Impact of Financial and Non-Financial Work Incentives on the Safety Behavior of Heavy Truck Drivers

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18052759 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (5) ◽

pp. 2759

Author(s):

Sebastjan Škerlič ◽

Vanja Erčulj

Keyword(s):

Financial Incentives ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Traffic Accidents ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Road Transport ◽

Truck Drivers ◽

Driving Ability ◽

Transport Sector ◽

Safety Behavior ◽

The Impact

The goal of the research is to determine how compensation affects the safety behavior of truck drivers and consequently the frequency of traffic accidents. For this purpose, a survey was conducted on a sample of 220 truck drivers in international road transport in the EU, where the results of the Structural Equation Model (SEM) show that in the current state of the transport sector, financial and non-financial incentives have a positive impact on the work and safety behavior of drivers. Financial incentives also have an impact on drivers’ increased perception of their driving ability, while moving violations continue to have a major impact on the number of accidents. The proposed improvements enable decision-makers at the highest level to adopt legal solutions to help manage the issues that have been affecting the industry from a work, social and safety point of view for the past several years. The results of the research therefore represent an important guideline for improvements to the legislature as well as in the systematization of truck driver compensation within companies.

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