Search Results (1,748)

Although chitosan (CS)- and essential oil (EO)-based packaging systems have been widely reviewed, a focused synthesis connecting nano-delivery design with interfacial regulation, film-network evolution, release behavior, and preservation performance in real food systems remains lacking. This review addresses that gap by examining CS-based nano-delivery systems for EOs in active food packaging, with an emphasis on how carrier design and multiscale organization govern functional performance. Major delivery strategies, including nanoemulsions, nanoparticles, nanogels, Pickering emulsions, nanofibrous systems, and nanocomposites, are discussed in relation to EO stabilization, dispersion uniformity, and controlled release. Their effects on film microstructure, mechanical and barrier properties, thermal stability, optical behavior, and antimicrobial and antioxidant activities are further evaluated alongside preservation outcomes in fruits, vegetables, dairy products, meat, and aquatic products. Particular attention is given to structure-function relationships across the carrier, interface, and film-network levels, and to the distinction between established active-packaging functions and emerging smart-packaging applications. Current challenges include EO compositional variability, limited cross-study comparability, sensory constraints, migration and regulatory concerns, and insufficiently scalable fabrication routes. Future work should prioritize mechanism-informed interfacial design, standardized evaluation frameworks, food-specific release-preservation correlations, and scalable green manufacturing. Full article

Background/Objectives: Consumption of dairy products and plant-based dairy alternatives (PBDAs) can be examined within broader configurations of food-related orientations rather than as isolated product choices. This study aimed to identify food-related consumer segments based on food involvement, attention to on-pack product information, and sustainability-related food-choice orientations, and to characterise these segments in relation to reported consumption frequencies of dairy products, PBDAs, and meat, fish and legume dishes, as well as health-oriented food-choice criteria. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1508 Polish adults responsible or co-responsible for household food purchasing. Principal component analysis was used to identify underlying food-related dimensions, and the retained component scores were entered into a two-step cluster analysis. Differences between clusters were examined using chi-square tests and one-way ANOVA. Results: Six dimensions were retained: sustainable and ethical choices, meat reduction, food involvement, product-information importance, shopping-list use and food-waste avoidance. Five clusters were identified, reflecting distinct configurations of these dimensions. PBDA and legume-dish consumption were most frequent in the sustainability and meat-reduction-oriented cluster, although dairy products and meat remained part of the reported diet. High food involvement and label/quality attention co-occurred with a more conventional consumption pattern, whereas PBDA and legume-dish consumption were lowest in more conventional and lower-sustainability clusters. The low-engagement cluster showed a more selective pattern of PBDA and legume-dish consumption. Conclusions: This study identified five food-related consumer segments and showed that reported PBDA consumption was embedded in heterogeneous dietary patterns rather than functioning as a simple substitute for dairy products. These findings indicate that reported PBDA consumption is segment-dependent and cannot be assumed to reflect reduced dairy consumption or a consistently sustainability- or health-oriented dietary pattern. Full article

Published microbiological data for Albanian artisanal dairy and meat supply chains remain limited, particularly for origin-specific cheeses, raw farm milk, and selected meat products. This targeted exploratory study examined 145 physical samples representing independent product lots or, for raw milk, independent bulk-milk lots obtained in separate collection events. The samples were organised into 29 organism-by-matrix analytical categories, with five independent experimental units in each category. ISO-based methods were used to enumerate hygiene indicators and screen for selected pathogens. Beta-glucuronidase-positive Escherichia coli counts were below 10 CFU/g in cow milk feta-type brined cheese and sausage, while Enterobacteriaceae counts were below 10 CFU/g in goat yoghurt and pistachio cake. In three raw-milk cheese-origin groups with quantified Escherichia coli data, mean counts ranged from 3.08 to 3.25 log CFU/g. For Liqenasi and Bardhoke, all five results in each category were >300 CFU/g and were treated as right-censored; the exact counts above this value were not quantified, so these observations were excluded from numerical summaries. Raw milk aerobic colony counts ranged from 4.52 to 6.52 log CFU/mL. Unconfirmed presumptive Salmonella spp. culture screening findings were obtained for 5/5 frozen chicken portions tested at 10 g and 5/5 pork portions tested at 25 g. Listeria monocytogenes was not detected in 5/5 ready-to-eat grilled chicken portions, each 25 g. Findings apply only to the sampled lots and support confirmatory sampling, complete lot documentation, and quantitative follow-up of right-censored results. Full article

Background: Meat-based and meat analogue products are commonly consumed foods for protein nourishment across the globe. These food products are promising carrier media that can be targeted for the delivery of edible insect products as a strategy to overcome food neophobia. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effect of edible insect enrichment on the nutritional, physicochemical, techno-functional, and acceptability of meat-based and meat analogue products for consumers. Methods: A systematic search for relevant articles was conducted on the databases PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Scopus on 5 November 2025. A total of 25 papers were included. Results: Edible insects and larvae from mealworms, crickets, grasshoppers, silkworm pupae, and superworms were commonly used to enrich meat-based and meat analogue products. Commonly reported meat products were sausages from pork and beef, pork patties, meat emulsion, and frankfurters. Soya flour was commonly used for meat analogue formulation. Conclusions: Acceptable edible insect incorporation is matrix-dependent, with conventional meat products generally tolerating low substitution levels (≈2.5–10%) before sensory and structural quality declines, whereas meat analogue systems can accommodate substantially higher inclusion (≈10–40% and, in some cases, up to ~60%). However, heterogeneity in formulations and sensory evaluation methods restricts direct comparison across studies. Full article

Coeliac disease is a chronic autoimmune enteropathy triggered by gluten consumption in genetically predisposed individuals. Given that lifelong adherence to a gluten-free diet (GFD) is the only effective treatment, the nutritional quality of commercially available gluten-free (GF) products is of particular importance. The aim of this study was to determine the nutritional content of selected GF products across multiple food categories available in the Greek market and compare them with their gluten-containing (GC) counterparts. In addition, the nutritional adequacy of a GFD for adults was assessed through an indicative 7-day dietary meal plan. A total of 228 food products (114 GF and 114 GC), categorized as charcuterie, starchy, bakery, confectionery, miscellaneous, meat-based, and plant-based, were included. Analysis of food label information revealed broadly comparable nutritional profiles with respect to energy, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugar, and sodium between GF and GC products. However, GF products contained less protein (7.31 ± 4.94 g vs. 9.86 ± 4.79 g, p < 0.001) and more dietary fibre (4.55 ± 3.05 g vs. 3.23 ± 2.21 g, p = 0.001). Analysis of the meal plan demonstrated that recommended intakes for all evaluated macronutrients and most micronutrients can be achieved while following a GFD with careful dietary planning. However, iron intake fell slightly below the recommended level for premenopausal women, while meeting vitamin D requirements remained challenging. Full article

Background/Objectives: The application of green analytical chemistry (GAC) principles is increasingly important in developing sustainable analytical practices for food safety monitoring. Natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs) have emerged as green alternatives to conventional organic solvents. This study aimed to develop a sustainable analytical method for determining antibiotic residues in processed meat and frozen poultry products. Methods: A dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) procedure based on a NADES composed of anisaldehyde and decanoic acid (3:1, molar ratio) was coupled with UHPLC–MS/MS for the simultaneous determination of macrolides (clarithromycin, erythromycin), sulfonamides (sulfamethoxazole, sulfadimethoxine), and a fluoroquinolone (enrofloxacin) in food samples. Key extraction parameters, including NADES volume, vortex time, centrifugation time, sample amount, and pH, were optimized. The method was validated for linearity, accuracy, precision, and recovery and applied to real samples from the Saudi market. Results: The method showed excellent analytical performance, with good linearity (R² ≥ 0.9982), recoveries of 84.1–99.4%, and RSDs ≤ 5.75%. The target antibiotics were successfully quantified in processed meat and frozen poultry samples, confirming applicability. In addition, a comprehensive evaluation using eight assessment tools confirmed the method’s environmental sustainability, practicality and innovation. Conclusions: The proposed NADES-based DLLME–UHPLC–MS/MS method is a rapid, sensitive, and eco-friendly alternative to conventional techniques for monitoring antibiotic residues in processed meat and poultry, supporting both food safety and GAC principles. Full article

This study examined the impact of varying addition levels (0%, 0.5%, 1%, 2%, and 4%) of electro-processed grape seed powder on the physicochemical properties and gel features of chicken myofibrillar protein. The incorporation of modified grape seed powder (MGSP) with an alternating electric field can strengthen the structure of myofibrillar protein (MP) gel, as well as improve its water retention capacity and solubility to a degree. Moreover, as the amount of addition increases, the gel’s hydrophobicity decreases and the number of carbonyl groups decreases, but the antioxidant activity improves. Ionic bonds and disulphide bonds are predominant intermolecular forces in the MP gel. MGSP can induce alterations in protein conformation and enhances the development of a dense and homogeneous gel network. Overall, when the addition amount is 2–4%, the gel characteristics reach optimal conditions. This study offers a crucial informational foundation for the utilization of plant-based materials altered by alternating electric fields and composite gels in meat products. Full article

Salmonella remains one of the most critical zoonotic pathogens in the poultry sector, linked to animal disease, foodborne illness, and the global crisis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Poultry acts as a major reservoir, enabling Salmonella transmission from hatchery to retail products through horizontal, vertical, and environmental routes. Despite the use of biosecurity, vaccination, antibiotics, and chemical decontamination, effective and sustainable control across the poultry value chain remains difficult, particularly in the face of rising multidrug-resistant strains and growing consumer concerns over chemical residues. Bacteriophages (phages), viruses that selectively infect and lyse bacteria, have emerged as a promising biological alternative for Salmonella control. Although many studies have reported the effectiveness of phages against bacterial species, including Salmonella, in the poultry industry, reports on their full potential to combat antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella across the entire poultry value chain remain limited. Therefore, this review synthesizes current evidence on the application of phages throughout the poultry value chain, including on-farm interventions, processing plant decontamination, and food packaging and storage. Findings from the reviewed articles indicate over a 90% reduction in Salmonella spp. in poultry farms and post-harvest meat, along with lower mortality in phage-treated groups compared to untreated groups; however, these outcomes depend on several factors (e.g., phage strains, concentrations, application methods, and environmental conditions). Laboratory, pilot, and field studies consistently demonstrate that phage preparations, especially when formulated as cocktails or combined with complementary interventions, can achieve substantial reductions in Salmonella, including antibiotic-resistant serovars, in live birds, eggs, poultry environments, and meat products. Unlike antibiotics and chemical sanitizers, phages act with high specificity, preserving beneficial microbiota and maintaining the sensory and nutritional quality of poultry products. Their safety has been supported by toxicological and genomic assessments, and several phage-based products have obtained regulatory approval, including Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status for food applications in the United States. By integrating efficacy, safety, regulatory, and practical deployment data, this review highlights bacteriophages as a scientifically validated and One Health–aligned tool capable of reducing Salmonella transmission from farm to fork across the poultry value chain, thereby laying the foundation for their future adoption in the poultry industry. Phage-based interventions offer a sustainable pathway to enhance food safety, limit antimicrobial resistance (AMR) dissemination, and strengthen consumer confidence in poultry products. However, the major limitation is the emergence of phage-resistant bacterial strains, as well as the potential involvement of some phages in the transfer of resistance and virulence genes, which could raise public concern. Nevertheless, the use of phage cocktails and whole-genome sequencing, involving tools such as ResFinder and virulence finder, can facilitate the selection of safe phages for application. Full article

Cultivated-meat production relies on robust animal cell-line engineering, scalable tissue-engineering strategies, and clearly defined regulatory standards. This review examines the developmental pipeline from primary tissue biopsy to large-scale expansion and regulatory evaluation, focusing on stable and safe immortalized cell platforms. We compare muscle satellite cells, mesenchymal stromal/adipogenic progenitors and induced pluripotent stem cells, highlighting trade-offs among proliferative capacity, lineage commitment, genomic stability, and food-safety considerations. We then analyze immortalization strategies, including spontaneous senescence bypass, telomerase reactivation and CRISPR-based checkpoint modulation, highlighting their impact on genomic stability and food-safety risks. Recent advances in serum-free media, extracellular matrix-mimetic biomaterials and staged co-culture protocols have enabled centimeter-scale tissues with improved texture and marbling; however, cost, reproducibility and scalability remain bottlenecks. Integrating multi-omics surveillance with life-cycle assessment reveals that environmental benefits (land, water and antibiotic reduction) are attainable only when energy inputs and growth-factor sourcing are optimized. Finally, we examine regulatory frameworks that distinguish food-grade immortalized cells from pharmaceutical substrates and genetically modified crops. By integrating cell biology, animal biotechnology, and bioprocess engineering, this review identifies technical priorities for advancing cultivated meat from laboratory development to industrial implementation, positioning genomic monitoring as an essential framework for assessing biological stability, functional predictability, and food-production suitability. Full article

This study evaluated the effects of maternal overfeeding during mid-to-late gestation on maternal productivity, metabolic status, reproductive recovery, and calf performance in Hanwoo cattle using conventional statistics and machine learning (ML) approaches. A total of 243 pregnant cows were assigned to either a control group or an overfeeding group from gestation day 90 to parturition. The overfeeding treatment increased nutrient supply to approximately 140–145% of the control level. Maternal body weight (BW), body condition score (BCS), serum metabolites, and reproductive traits were evaluated throughout gestation and postpartum, while calf growth, morphometrics, and metabolic traits were assessed at birth and weaning. Calves were further classified into growth- or meat-quality-oriented genotypes using SNP-based profiling. Overfeeding increased maternal BW gain and BCS during gestation and reduced circulating non-esterified fatty acid concentrations, indicating improved maternal energy status. However, overfed cows showed a longer interval to postpartum estrus return. Calf birth weight was not significantly affected by maternal overfeeding, whereas calf growth and morphometric traits at weaning were more strongly influenced by parity, sex, and genotype. Machine learning models identified gestational BW, metabolic indicators, calf feed intake, and genotype as major predictors of maternal and calf outcomes, with random forest and XGBoost showing superior predictive performance compared with linear models. These findings suggest that parity- and genotype-informed nutritional management combined with ML-based prediction may support precision feeding strategies in beef cattle production systems. Full article

Euterpe oleracea Mart. (açaí), a palm fruit native to the Amazon basin, has attracted growing global scientific interest over the past decade owing to its distinctive phytochemical richness and broad functional potential. This narrative review synthesizes research published between 2015 and 2025 on açaí’s nutritional composition, biological activities, food technological applications, processing innovations, by-product valorization, and sustainability challenges. Açaí pulp contains a distinctive nutrient matrix—including anthocyanins (particularly cyanidin-3-glucoside), polyphenols, oleic and linoleic fatty acids, and dietary fiber—underpinning antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, and antiobesity effects demonstrated primarily in in vitro and animal models, with human clinical evidence still limited. Processing strategies such as ultrasound-assisted extraction, nanoencapsulation, freeze-drying, and supercritical CO₂ extraction have advanced bioactive stability and bioaccessibility, enabling açaí’s incorporation into dairy products, functional beverages, biodegradable packaging, reformulated meat products, and edible films. Processing residues—seeds and pomace—are increasingly repurposed into nutraceuticals, biosorbents, and bio-based polymers, reinforcing the species’ circular bioeconomy potential. Food safety risks, particularly Trypanosoma cruzi contamination in minimally processed products, require standardized mitigation protocols. Key remaining challenges include the absence of validated bioaccessibility methodologies, the scarcity of human clinical trials, and the need for scalable processing technologies suitable for smallholder production contexts. Overall, açaí emerges as a model bioresource at the convergence of nutrition science, food technology, and environmental sustainability. Full article

Apple pomace is a widely available food processing by-product that has attracted increasing attention in circular and resource-efficient food systems for its potential in value-added food applications. The use of apple pomace in ready-to-eat (RTE) plant-based meat analogs represents a promising pathway. Unlike plant-based meats intended for cooking, RTE systems impose stricter constraints on structural stability, water retention, flavor integrity, and safety under cold chain conditions. Within this framework, apple pomace represents a compositionally complex material with both opportunities and constraints. This review examines how apple pomace and its derived ingredients can be utilized in RTE plant-based meat analogs, with particular attention to the distinct structural and functional requirements of minced-type and whole-cut products. Current evidence indicates that direct incorporation is more feasible for minced systems, where apple pomace fiber and pectin can support water retention, binding, and refrigerated slice stability when particle size, hydration, and sensory limits are controlled. By contrast, whole-cut applications are more likely to require fractionation, selective extraction, or additional structuring because particulate heterogeneity may disrupt continuous phase integrity and anisotropic structure formation. The review further identifies the main barriers to industrial translation, including water management under refrigerated conditions, flavor and color deviations, challenges in raw material standardization, and techno-economic constraints related to dewatering, processing intensity, and quality control. Overall, this review indicates that apple pomace can function as a technically relevant ingredient in RTE plant-based meat analogs. Its successful implementation depends on converting compositional complexity into predictable functionality through raw material standardization, controlled fraction use, food safety verification, and economically viable processing. In this way, sustainability-driven valorization can be better aligned with the practical requirements of industrial food production. Full article

The purpose of the study was to develop an innovative meat–plant product in the form of a paste with increased nutritional value. Increased nutritional value was assessed based on the results of a nutritional analysis of a reference meat product and a reference plant product. The quality assessment took into account both physical and sensory characteristics. The results showed that the innovative meat–plant product was characterised by a reduced fat content (51.91%), saturated (82.17%) and monounsaturated fatty acids (68.87%), cholesterol (54.07%) and a reduction in calorie content (by 30.06%) compared to the reference meat product, while simultaneously increasing the proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids (106.80%) and dietary fibre (129.05%). Compared to the reference plant product, the innovative meat–plant product was characterised by a higher protein content (104.05%) with a favourable amino acid profile and a reduction in calorie content (20.18%). Sensory evaluation confirmed the high desirability of the aroma and taste and the overall acceptability of the meat–plant product compared to reference products. The reformulation enabled the development of an innovative product with balanced nutritional and sensory properties, providing a valuable alternative to traditional meat products and classic plant paste. Full article

This study proposes a vision-based framework for automated inspection and quality grading of beef steaks by integrating fat marbling distribution analysis and lean-meat color evaluation. In frozen beef products, surface frost often generates specular reflections that resemble both fat and lean regions, thereby reducing segmentation accuracy. To address this challenge, a sequential and interpretable analytical framework is developed. First, homomorphic filtering is applied to suppress frost-induced illumination artifacts, followed by curvelet transform combined with square-ring filtering to separate fat and lean regions based on their multi-scale and directional characteristics. For marbling analysis, the convex hull, skeleton, and principal axis of the steak are extracted, and a chi-square goodness-of-fit test is performed within eight predefined regions to quantitatively evaluate marbling distribution uniformity and identify localized fat accumulation. For lean-meat evaluation, RGB color features are extracted and classified using a Support Vector Machine (SVM) to determine redness levels. The resulting marbling and color information are subsequently integrated through a weighted grading strategy to estimate the final quality grade. Experimental results demonstrate a fat detection rate of 92.68%, a false-positive rate of 4.97%, and a correct classification rate of 94.09% for fat segmentation, while the SVM-based lean-meat color classifier achieves an accuracy of 96.67%. Furthermore, the proposed grading framework attains an overall grading accuracy of 90.38%, showing strong agreement with human evaluation. Full article

Improving tenderness in whole-muscle pork products remains a technological challenge, particularly when natural processing strategies are preferred over conventional additives, as texture is regarded as one of the most important quality attributes influencing consumer perception and acceptance of meat products. This study investigated whether two plant proteases, papain and bromelain, incorporated into a red algae-based brine containing Palmaria palmata could enhance the quality of injected pork loin without compromising microbiological safety or sensory acceptance. Seven batches were produced: a control sample and six enzyme-treated samples containing papain or bromelain at 0.015%, 0.030%, and 0.045%. Overall, the enzymatic treatments had a limited effect on proximate composition. However, a modest decrease in fat content was observed, from 3.09% in the control sample to 2.70–2.82% in the samples treated with the highest concentrations of papain and bromelain (0.045%). In contrast, instrumental color and texture were strongly affected. Enzyme-treated samples became lighter, less red, and less saturated, with redness decreasing from 13.07 in the control to 5.19–6.66 in the highest-dose treatments and total color differences reaching 8.66. The most relevant effect was observed in texture, where papain and bromelain markedly reduced shear force, shear work, hardness, gumminess, and chewiness; shear force decreased from 26.22 N/cm² in the control to 10.78 N/cm² and 9.38 N/cm² in the batches treated with the highest enzyme concentrations. During refrigerated storage, total viable counts increased gradually but remained low, with a maximum of 4.56 × 10² CFU/g, while Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., and Listeria monocytogenes were not detected. Sensory analysis further showed that enzymatic treatment improved perceived tenderness and juiciness without reducing overall acceptability. These findings indicate that papain and bromelain can be used as natural tenderizing tools in injected pork loin, offering a promising route toward cleaner-label meat products with improved texture and preserved microbiological quality. Full article