The present study aimed to compare the effects of different pre-drying treatments (e.g., freeze drying, microwave drying, and oven drying) on the physicochemical properties, fatty acid composition, and volatile compounds of oil extracted from dried Tenebrio molitor larvae. The results showed that oil from freeze-dried T. molitor larvae (O-FTML) was characterized by a high degree of oxidation, with significantly high acid and peroxide values (P < 0.05), and the highest content of saturated fatty acids (P < 0.05). However, oil from microwave-dried T. molitor larvae (O-MTML) and oven-dried T. molitor larvae (O-OTML) with higher iodine values showed lower oxidation (P < 0.05), possessed lower viscosity, and higher thermal stability (P < 0.05). In addition, the O-OTML group increased the proportion of unsaturated fatty acids and stimulated baking aroma, similar to that of vegetable oils. In conclusion, oven-drying may be the optimal drying treatment for oil extracted from T. molitor larvae.

The present study investigated the effect of partial substitution of micronized cold-pressed hemp meal (MCPHM) (1%, 2%, 3%, 4% and 5%, m/m) for phosphate on the quality and sensory characteristics of low-phosphate (50% reduced-phosphate) frankfurters. The results indicate that MCPHM could be used as an ideal phosphate substitute; as MCPHM concentration increased, the cooking loss, L^* and a^* values significantly decreased (P < 0.05), while the emulsion stability, b^*, cross-sectional compactness, hardness and springiness significantly increased (P < 0.05). However, higher MCPHM concentration significantly decreased the juiciness, flavor, hardness, springiness, resilience, chewiness, brittleness, and adhesiveness of low-phosphate frankfurters (P < 0.05). In summary, the optimal addition level of MCPHM that improve the quality characteristics of low-phosphate frankfurters was 4%. Therefore, this study suggests that replacing phosphate with MCPHM can be a practical method to improve the quality defects of low-phosphate frankfurters.

Frankfurters are subject to problems such as water and oil separation during their production, transport and storage, affecting the quality of the sausages. Therefore, how to improve the quality characteristics of frankfurters has always been the focus of meat processing research. This study investigated the influence of the addition of different amounts of gum tragacanth (0, 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%, 0.4% and 0.5%, m/m) on the quality characteristics of frankfurters. The results showed that the addition of gum tragacanth significantly decreased the cooking loss, and increased the emulsion stability of frankfurters (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, with increasing concentration of gum tragacanth, the hardness, springiness, fracturability and L^* value of frankfurters were firstly increased and then declined, reaching a maximum at 0.3% gum tragacanth. The results of dynamic rheological tests revealed that the incorporation of gum tragacanth increased the storage modulus (G’) and loss modulus (G”) and decreased the loss angle tangent (tanδ) of meat batter, indicating improved viscoelasticity. The results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the addition of astragalus gum significantly improved the organizational state of sausage gels, resulting in the formation of a dense and uniform three-dimensional gel network structure. In conclusion, the incorporation of gum tragacanth can significantly improve the quality characteristics of frankfurters, the effect being most pronounced at 0.3% gum tragacanth.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of different cooking times (30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110 and 120 min) at 85 ℃ on the quality of low-temperature ready-to-eat duck breast meat. The results showed that with increasing cooking time, the cooking loss of ready-to-eat duck breast meat was significantly increased (P < 0.05), while the yield, centrifugal loss, compression loss, moisture content, pH, and L* value were significantly decreased (P < 0.05), which could be verified by the changes of water distribution. Moreover, the tenderness was firstly increased and then decreased with increasing cooking time, and the optimal interior color, cross-sectional compactness and flavor were obtained after cooking for 80 min (P < 0.05). In addition, the results of cluster analysis showed that cooking time, especially at a cooking time of 80 min, had a significant up-regulatory effect on the proportion of immobilized water (P₂₁) and bound water (P_2b), a* value, b* value and sensory parameters (flavor, cross-sectional compactness, and internal color) of duck breast meat. In conclusion, the optimal quality of ready-to-eat duck breast meat was obtained by cooking at 85 ℃ for 80 min.

Freezing is a common method to preserve the quality of raw materials used for the industrial production of meat products. However, frozen meat needs to be thawed before production, and improper thawing can easily cause adverse effects on the protein structure, color, flavor and texture of meat. At present, the common industrial thawing methods include air thawing and water thawing. Although these traditional methods are easy to operate, they take a long time and cause rapid growth of microorganisms, which seriously damages the quality of raw meat. On this basis, new physical field-assisted thawing technologies have gradually emerged, which can control the time of protein oxidation in the presence of oxygen, reduce the microscopic damage of raw meat and the loss of juice, and restore the original quality of raw meat to the greatest extent, thereby meeting the needs of producers and consumers. This paper reviews the mechanism of action and application of new physical field-assisted thawing technologies in improving raw meat quality, as well as their combined application with traditional thawing technologies, in order to provide theoretical and technical guidance for the industrial application and development of new physical field-assisted thawing technologies.

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of the addition of different concentrations (0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0% and 2.5%, m/m) of micronized cold-pressed hemp meal (MCPHM) on the quality characteristics of frankfurters. The results showed that with increasing concentration of added MCPHM, the cooking loss, emulsion stability, hardness, elasticity and chewiness of frankfurter sausage increased firstly and then decreased (P < 0.05). Additionally, the water activity significantly decreased, while the pH significantly increased (P < 0.05). Therefore, addition of MCPHM could effectively improve the quality of frankfurter sausage, and the most pronounced effect was achieved when the amount of added MCPHM was 1.0%.

More recently, with the increasing health awareness of consumers and the upgrading of people’s consumption concept, developing more nutritious, healthier and safer meat products has become a hot topic for the meat industry. Sous-vide (SV), a novel processing technology in which fresh or slightly processed raw materials are packaged in vacuum sealed bags and then cooked for a long time in a constant-temperature water bath or sous-vide machine, has some advantages, such as low heating temperature and uniform heating. More interestingly, SV can significantly improve the tenderness and juiciness of meat products, reduce the loss of nutrients, eliminate the off-flavor and hazardous substances generated by high-temperature cooking. However, its application is limited by various factors (e.g. temperature, time and vacuum degree) that affect the product quality. Meanwhile, how to prolong the shelf-life to the maximum extent and improve the microbial safety of meat products is challenging. This article summarizes the process parameters affecting SV and systematically reviews recent progress in understanding the influence of SV on the eating quality and shelf-life of meat products. This review is expected to provide technical guidance for exploring the processing characteristics of SV, improving the quality and extending the shelf-life of meat products as well as developing new products.

The effects of adding different amounts of flaxseed gum (0%, 0.05%, 0.10%, 0.15% and 0.20%) on the degree of starch gelatinization (DSG) and quality of starch-meat sausage were investigated. The results showed that the DSG, water content, redness value and elasticity of sausages first increased and then decreased with increasing addition of flaxseed gum, reaching their maximum values at an addition level of 0.10% (P < 0.05). In addition, the sausage with 0.10% flaxseed gum had the lowest cooking loss and the highest acceptability score (P < 0.05). Therefore, addition of 0.10% flaxseed gum can improve the quality of sausages.

Tumbling technology is widely used in the processing of meat products, which plays an important role in tenderizing raw meat, improving curing efficiency, reducing cooking losses, and improving product quality. However, the application of conventional tumbling technology is affected by many factors (such as temperature, time, speed, method, and vacuum degree), thereby affecting product quality. With the emergence of new food processing technologies, their combination with traditional tumbling technology can improve the application efficiency of tumbling in meat processing. Based on previous studies, this article systematically reviews the integration of new food processing technologies and traditional tumbling technology, as well as the application of new tumbling technologies in meat processing, which will hopefully provide theoretical and technical guidance for the application and development of new tumbling technologies.

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of the addition of different concentrations (0.5%, 0.75%, 1%, 1.25%, 1.5% and 1.75%) of seaweed dietary fiber on improving the quality of low-fat and low-salt chicken frankfurters. The results showed that increasing concentration of seaweed dietary fiber could result in a significant decrease in the cooking loss, L* value and b* value of low-fat and low-salt chicken frankfurters (P < 0.05), but a significant increase in the emulsion stability, springiness, resilience, fracturability and sensory evaluation (tightness, juiciness, flavor and overall acceptability) (P < 0.05), and the optimal concentration was 1.5% (P < 0.05). The microstructural observation showed that seaweed dietary fiber could promote the formation of a dense three-dimensional network structure in chicken protein gels. Therefore, seaweed dietary fiber can improve the water-holding capacity and gel properties of low-fat and low-salt chicken meat batters, which in turn can improve the eating quality of the final product. Our results provide a technical guidance for the development of low-fat and low-salt meat products.