Search Results (126)

The valorisation of underutilized male layer-type chickens offers a sustainable and ethically aligned opportunity for the poultry industry. This study evaluated the feasibility of male layer-type chicken meat in the production of chicken pâtés and compared the effects of different meat sources—commercial broiler (CP), and 5 (5wP) and 9-week-old (9wP) male layer-type chickens—on product quality during refrigerated storage using the general linear model with the Tukey–Kramer post-hoc test. Pâtés made from 5wP meat exhibited the most favourable technological properties, including the lowest (p < 0.05) total expressible fluid (TEF), highest (p < 0.05) water retention (TEF_Water), and lowest (p < 0.05) fat content (TEF_Fat) than CP and 9wP indicating superior emulsion stability. The 5wP pâtés also presented the lowest (p < 0.05) TBARS values on day 1, along with reduced colour deterioration (ΔE) over 7 days of storage. CP samples demonstrated the greatest (p < 0.05) hardness, cohesiveness, and gumminess, but lower (p < 0.05) springiness and resilience compared to 5wP and 9wP, yielding softer and elastic pâtés. Overall, pâtés formulated with 5wP can be a promising option for the development of value-added poultry products. The incorporation of male layer-type chicken meat into commercial formulations will encourage further research of their market potential. Full article

Animal-based food is significant for human nutrition, as it represents an easily digestible source of high-quality proteins, fatty acids, fat-soluble vitamins, and energy. During evolution, humans developed anatomical, metabolic, and biochemical adaptations in the digestive tract, becoming increasingly dependent on nutritionally valuable food, such as animal-based products. Animal-based food can be a source of chemical substances that are harmful to health, such as contaminants (heavy metals, mycotoxins, organochlorine pesticides, etc.), veterinary drug residues, and additives. The subject of this paper is the determination of the content of essential (copper—Cu, iron—Fe, and chromium—Cr) and heavy and toxic metals (lead—Pb, cadmium—Cd, arsenic—As, and tin—Sn), as well as nitrites, in meat products, particularly pâtés and meat spreads available on the market in the Republic of Srpska. Determination of the content of metals was performed using the ICP-OES method, while nitrites were analyzed using the standard SRPS ISO 2918/1999 method. The obtained results indicate that the content of heavy and toxic metals and nitrites is lower than the maximum prescribed by national regulations, namely the Rulebook on Maximum Amounts of Certain Contaminants (Official Gazette of BA, No. 68/14, 79/16, 84/18) and the Rulebook on Additives in Food (Official Gazette of BA, No. 33/18 and 6/21). Full article

Background: Prehabilitation is increasingly being used in patients undergoing multimodality treatment for oesophagogastric cancer (OGC). Most studies to date have been small, single-centre trials. This collaborative study sought to assess the overall impact of prehabilitation on patient outcomes following OGC surgery. Methods: Data came from four prospective prehabilitation trials conducted in the UK or Ireland in patients undergoing multimodality treatment for OGC. The studies included three randomised and one non-randomised clinical trial, each comparing a prehabilitation intervention group to controls. The prehabilitation interventions included aerobic training delivered by exercise physiologists alongside dietetic input throughout the treatment pathway. The primary outcome was survival (all-cause and disease-specific mortality). Secondary outcomes were differences in complications, cardio-respiratory fitness (changes in VO_{2 peak} and anaerobic threshold (AT)), chemotherapy completion rates, hospital length of stay, changes in body mass index, tumour regression and complication rates of anastomotic leak and pneumonia. Cox and logistic regression analysis provided hazard ratios (HR) and odds ratios (OR), respectively, with 95% confidence intervals (CI), adjusted for confounders. Results: Among 165 patients included, 88 patients were in the prehabilitation group and 77 patients were in the control group. All-cause and disease-specific mortality were not improved by prehabilitation (HR 0.67 95% CI 0.21–2.12 and HR 0.82 95% CI 0.42–1.57, respectively). The prehabilitation group experienced fewer major complications (20% vs. 36%, p = 0.034; adjusted OR of 0.54; 95%CI 0.26–1.13). There was a mitigated decline in VO_2 peak following neo-adjuvant therapy (delta prehabilitation −1.07 mL/kg/min vs. control −2.74 mL/kg/min; p = 0.035) and chemotherapy completion rates were significantly higher following prehabilitation (90% vs. 73%; p = 0.016). Hospital length of stay (10 vs. 12 days, p = 0.402) and neoadjuvant chemotherapy response (Mandard 1–3 41% vs. 35%; p = 0.494) favoured prehabilitation, albeit not statistically significantly. Conclusion: Despite some limitations in terms of heterogeneity of study methodology, this study suggests a number of meaningful clinical benefits from prehabilitation before surgery for OGC patients. Current initiatives to agree on national standards for delivering prehabilitation and the results of ongoing trials will help to further refine this important intervention and expand the evidence base to support the widespread adoption and implementation of prehabilitation programs. Full article

With rising urgency around carbon emissions and climate change, electrification has emerged as a central focus in traditionally combustion-reliant industries. With increasing regulatory restrictions on automotive and smaller off-highway markets (<25 hp), the heavy equipment industry faces growing pressures to adopt hybrid and fully electric solutions. Current literature primarily addresses technical electrification challenges, leaving a gap in understanding industry perspectives. This study explores trends, challenges, and expectations of electrification from industry representatives’ viewpoints, using data from 84 surveys conducted at the CONEXPO/CONAGG trade show and sentiment analysis of 100 interview notes gathered through an NSF Innovation Corps workshop. Results indicate substantial uncertainty toward electrification, with key limitations including power-to-weight ratios, high costs, maintenance, leakage concerns, and reliability of electronic components. The majority (77%) preferred traditional hydraulic systems due to familiarity and reliability, though concerns over maintenance and environmental impact remain prevalent. Participants anticipate a gradual industry transition, projecting widespread adoption of hybrid solutions in 10–15 years and longer timelines for fully electric systems. Effective adoption of greener technologies is likely through industry-wide standards and financial incentives. This study emphasizes the industry’s cautious yet gradually increasing openness to electrification amidst persistent technological and economic challenges. Full article

The integration of intermittent Distributed Generations (DGs) like solar photovoltaics into Radial Distribution Systems (RDSs) reduces system losses but causes voltage and power instability issues. It has also been observed that seasonal variations affect the performance of such DGs. These issues can be resolved by placing optimum-sized Battery Energy Storage (BES) Systems into RDSs. This work proposes a new approach to the placement of optimally sized BESSs considering multiple objectives, Active Power Losses, the Power Stability Index, and the Voltage Stability Index, which are prioritized using the Weighted Sum Method. The proposed multi-objectives are investigated using the probabilistic and Polynomial Multiple Regression (PMR) approaches to account for the randomness in solar irradiance and its effect on BESS sizing and placements. To analyze system behavior, simultaneous and sequential strategies considering aggregated and distributed BESS placement are executed on IEEE 33-bus and 94-bus Portuguese RDSs by applying the Improved Grey Wolf Optimization and TOPSIS techniques. Significant loss reduction is observed in distributed BESS placement compared to aggregated BESSs. Also, the sequentially distributed BESS stabilized the RDS to a greater extent than the simultaneously distributed BESS. In view of the uncertainty, the probabilistic and PMR approaches require a larger optimal BESS size than the deterministic approach, representing practical systems. Additionally, the results are validated using Improved Particle Swarm Optimization–TOPSIS techniques. Full article

Federated learning (FL) is a machine learning technique where clients exchange only local model updates with a central server that combines them to create a global model after local training. While FL offers privacy benefits through local training, privacy-preserving strategies are needed since model updates can leak training data information due to various attacks. To enhance privacy and attack robustness, techniques like homomorphic encryption (HE), Secure Multi-Party Computation (SMPC), and the Private Aggregation of Teacher Ensembles (PATE) can be combined with FL. Currently, no study has combined more than two privacy-preserving techniques with FL or comparatively analyzed their combinations. We conducted a comparative study of privacy-preserving techniques in FL, analyzing performance and security. We implemented FL using an artificial neural network (ANN) with a Malware Dataset from Kaggle for malware detection. To enhance privacy, we proposed models combining FL with the PATE, SMPC, and HE. All models were evaluated against poisoning attacks (targeted and untargeted), a backdoor attack, a model inversion attack, and a man in the middle attack. The combined models maintained performance while improving attack robustness. FL_SMPC, FL_CKKS, and FL_CKKS_SMPC improved both their performance and attack resistance. All the combined models outperformed the base FL model against the evaluated attacks. FL_PATE_CKKS_SMPC achieved the lowest backdoor attack success rate (0.0920). FL_CKKS_SMPC best resisted untargeted poisoning attacks (0.0010 success rate). FL_CKKS and FL_CKKS_SMPC best defended against targeted poisoning attacks (0.0020 success rate). FL_PATE_SMPC best resisted model inversion attacks (19.267 MSE). FL_PATE_CKKS_SMPC best defended against man in the middle attacks with the lowest degradation in accuracy (1.68%), precision (1.94%), recall (1.68%), and the F1-score (1.64%). Full article

This study reviews the feasibility of using cultivated mushrooms in the development of salt-reduced meat products. For this purpose, it is important to know the role of salt in meat products in order to develop viable strategies for its substitution. In addition, mushroom types and properties (composition, nutritional value, umami content, etc.) and examples of successful application as salt substitutes in meat products are addressed. Salt has important roles in meat product processing, mainly affecting its technological, antimicrobial, and sensory properties. Therefore, the different strategies that have been studied (meat product reformulation and technological advances) with the aim of reducing its content have to address these effects. The application of mushrooms as a salt substitute shows several advantages mainly related to the fact that mushrooms are a natural ingredient with a very healthy nutritional composition (rich in protein and dietary fiber but low in fat and sodium) and, from an economic and sustainable cultivation perspective, aligns well with current trends in food production and consumption. Salt substitutions of 50% have been achieved, mainly in fresh meat products (hamburgers) and heat-treated meat products (sausages, pâté, roast meat, etc.), with minimal physicochemical and sensory modifications of the final product. The meat industry could benefit from incorporating cultivated mushrooms as a salt-reducing ingredient, especially in the development of reduced salt meat products with a quality comparable to or superior to traditional products. The optimization of processes for their integration in the formulation of meat products should be the trend to ensure their viability. Full article

This study aims to explore the effect of using black pepper essential oil (BPEO) to produce a healthier chicken pâté. Four different formulations were produced: a control formulation without back pepper and three with increasing BPEO contents. To test the effect of using BPEO, physiochemical analyses were performed at two different moments, 8 and 21 days after production. Microbiological analyses were performed 2, 9, 16, and 23 days after production. Sensory analysis to evaluate the pleasantness of the pâtés to consumers was performed 21 days after production. Finally, total phenol and flavonoid content and antioxidant activity were evaluated. Results show no significant physicochemical differences. Pâtés with no BPEO or black garlic were the most pleasant, but 0.3 or 0.5% of BPEO were not significantly less appreciated, while 1% of the EO caused a decrease in taste and global appreciation. The higher the BPEO content, the higher the phenol content, antioxidant (with an increase from 1.58 to 2.27 mg eq. Fe II/g of sample, in the Control at T23 and V3 at T23, respectively), and microbial activity (with total mesophiles count reduction from 5.91 to 5.21 log CFU/g sample in V3 from T9 to T16). The use of 1% of BPEO showed a significant effect on the reduction in mesophile counts for at least two weeks. These results highlight the potential for optimizing BPEO or black garlic content to ensure both consumer acceptance and enhanced functional properties. While further analysis will help pinpoint the best formulation, the current findings are a promising step towards achieving an optimal balance. Full article

In the production of meat products, animal fats, which are rich mainly in saturated fatty acids, are used as a recipe ingredient. To improve the quality and fatty acid profile of meat products, it is possible to partially replace animal fat with vegetable oils. This approach aims to achieve a more favorable PUFA/SFA ratio and n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio, bringing them closer to the values recommended by nutritional organizations. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the impact of replacing 20% and 40% of animal fat with selected plant fats on the change in the fat fraction composition of liver pâté-type processed meat and its oxidative stability. Fatty acid content was analyzed in the oils purchased from retailers and in experimental samples. During refrigerated storage of the experimental sausages, changes in the content of primary (peroxide value (PV)) and secondary oxidation products (TBARS), as well as changes in sensory quality, were evaluated. The analysis included cross-sectional color, aroma, texture, saltiness, and taste. The study showed that replacing 20% of animal fat with vegetable oils resulted in products with high sensory attractiveness and oxidative stability, outperforming those with 40% replacement. Among the tested vegetable oils, samples with rapeseed oil demonstrated the highest oxidative stability and the most favorable, nutrition-recommendation-approaching n-6 to n-3 fatty acid ratio, compared with samples with flaxseed, corn, sunflower, and soybean oils. Full article

Although osteoclasts play crucial roles in the skeletal system, the mechanisms that underlie oxidative stress during osteoclastogenesis remain unclear. The transcription factor Nrf2 and its suppressor, Keap1, function as central mediators of oxidative stress. To further elucidate the function of Nrf2/Keap1-mediated oxidative stress regulation in osteoclastogenesis, DNA microarray analysis was conducted in this study using wild-type (WT), Keap1 knockout (Keap1 KO), and Nrf2 knockout (Nrf2 KO) osteoclasts. Principal component analysis showed that 403 genes, including Nqo1, Il1f9, and Mmp12, were upregulated in Keap1 KO compared with WT osteoclasts, whereas 24 genes, including Snhg6, Ccdc109b, and Wfdc17, were upregulated in Nrf2 KO compared with WT osteoclasts. Moreover, 683 genes, including Car2, Calcr, and Pate4, were upregulated in Nrf2 KO cells compared to Keap1 KO cells. Functional analysis by Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis showed upregulated genes in Nrf2 KO osteoclasts were mostly enriched in oxidative phosphorylation. Furthermore, GeneMANIA predicted the protein–protein interaction network of novel molecules such as Rufy4 from genes upregulated in Nrf2 KO osteoclasts. Understanding the complex interactions between these molecules may pave the way for developing promising therapeutic strategies against bone metabolic diseases caused by increased osteoclast differentiation under oxidative stress. Full article

Roe deer meat is a prized game product in many European countries. However, concerns exist regarding the accuracy of the amount of declared roe deer in processed game meat foods. This study aimed to develop a reliable method for the detection and quantification of roe deer in commercialized game meat products. A TaqMan probe-based quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay was designed, targeting a single-copy 120-bp region of the roe deer agouti signaling protein (ASIP) encoding gene. The method employed the normalized ∆Cq approach to establish a calibration curve for roe deer detection and quantification within 0.05–50% (w/w) in complex raw and processed matrices. The method proved to be specific for roe deer identification, achieving limits of detection and quantification of 0.04 ng of roe deer DNA and 0.05% (w/w) of roe deer in simulated pâté. Following validation with blind samples, highlighting the precision and trueness of the approach, the assay was applied to 46 market samples from four European origins (Poland, Portugal, France, and Spain). The analysis revealed significant discrepancies between declared roe deer content and actual levels in all roe deer labeled products. The global analysis of results, combining the previous survey on red deer species with present roe deer data, identified 61% of mislabeled/adulterated samples due to the absence of deer species, substitution of roe deer with red deer, substitution of fallow deer with other deer species and red deer with pork, and undeclared addition of roe deer. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of the developed qPCR method for accurate roe deer meat authentication in foods, showing its usefulness as a tool for routine food inspection to ensure labeling compliance. Full article

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effect of the most frequently used accelerometer CoPs on the quantification of active preschoolers by weekday; and to analyze children’s physical activity (PA) quantification using a vertical axis and vector magnitude (VM). Methods: A cross-sectional sample of 134 children (70 males) aged 3–5 years was studied. Height, body weight, and BMI were assessed. A tri-axial accelerometer was used for seven consecutive days of MVPA and sedentary behavior (SB). Data were analyzed using the three most used CoPs for active preschooler classification (Johansson, Butte, and Pate). A general linear model with repeated measures examined differences in PA and SB, and the agreements of all CoPs were analyzed using the Kappa index. Results: The CoPs adopted by Pate had the highest percentage of children classified as active for the weekdays (73.9%) and weekend (85.6%). The Johansson CoP classified all children as inactive. Furthermore, the prevalence of active boys was significantly higher than their female counterparts based on the Pate and Butte CoPs for the week and weekends. Conclusions: The lowest prevalence rates of active children were observed at the weekend based on all accelerometer CoPs, especially among girls. The choice of cut-points significantly affects the times calculated for different movement intensities. Full article

Meat delicatessen products, including pâtés, are important for consumers’ daily diets. However, due to the complex recipe composition, pâtés can also contain allergens such as gluten. Simultaneously, powdered edible insects are increasingly used to reformulate food products. Therefore, the paper aimed to investigate the feasibility of replacing wheat flour (total content: 9% w/w) with yellow mealworm powder (3:0, 2:1, 1:2, and 0:3) in chicken and pork pâtés and determine its effect on their quality properties. The rheological properties of pâté batter, as well as texture, color parameters, and microbiological and sensory characteristics of pâtés, were assessed. All prepared pâté batters were identified as weak gels. Furthermore, all the examined pâtés met the microbiological quality requirements. Adding yellow mealworm powder to the formulation weakened the pâté structure, resulting in significantly lower shear force and increased spreadability. In addition, it led to a darker and more gray color of the pâtés. It may be seen as indicating no preservatives or as resembling a typical pork pâté. It has been demonstrated that the complete replacement of wheat flour with insect powder significantly reduced the sensory quality of chicken and pork pâtés. Full article

Shock-induced vibrations transmitted from the racket to the tennis player’s upper limb have interested researchers, whether for investigating their effect on injury risk, or for designing new equipment. Measuring these vibrations is, however, very challenging in an ecological playing situation: sensors must be of very high quality in order to precisely measure high-energy and broad-frequency signals, as well as non-invasive in order to allow the players to perform their usual movements. The working hypothesis of this paper is that contactless sound recordings of the ball/racket impact carry the same information as direct vibratory measurements. The present study focuses on the tennis serve, as being tennis’ most energy-demanding stroke, therefore possibly being the most traumatic stroke for the upper limb. This article aims (a) to evaluate the propagation of vibration from the racket to the upper limb; and (b) to identify correlations with acoustic signals collected simultaneously. Eight expert tennis players performed serves with three rackets and two ball spin effects. Accelerometers measured the vibration on the racket and at five locations on the upper limb, and a microphone measured the impact sound. Resulting signals were analyzed in terms of energy and spectral descriptors. Results showed that flat serves produced louder sounds, higher vibration levels, lower acoustic spectral centroids, and higher vibratory spectral centroids than kick serves. The racket only had a marginal influence. Similarities between acoustic and vibratory measurements were found (levels were correlated), but so were differences (spectral centroids tended to be negatively correlated), encouraging further studies on the link between sound and vibration for the in situ measurement of shock-induced vibration. Full article

Hydrocolloids are used in spreadable meat or poultry products to improve consistency, emulsion stability and water retention, resulting in products with desired functional and organoleptic properties. The scope of the work was to evaluate the addition of three divergent algal hydrocolloids (κ-carrageenan, ι-carrageenan, furcellaran) at four different concentrations (0.25, 0.50, 0.75, and 1.00% w/w) on the physicochemical, textural, rheological and organoleptic properties of model chicken liver pâté (CLP) samples. Overall, the highest hardness and viscoelastic moduli values of the CLP samples were reported when κ-carrageenan and furcellaran were utilized at a concentration of 0.75% w/w (p < 0.05). Furthermore, increasing the concentrations of the utilized hydrocolloids led to increase in the viscoelastic moduli and hardness values of CLP. Compared to the control sample, an increase in spreadability was reported in the CLP samples with the addition of hydrocolloids. Finally, the use of algal hydrocolloids proved to be an effective way to modify the techno-functional properties of CLP. Full article