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Quality Changes and Improvement Technologies of Animal-Derived Foods during Storage...
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Quality Changes and Improvement Technologies of Animal-Derived Foods during Storage and Processing

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Quality and Safety".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 9472

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Jinxuan Cao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Food and Health, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 10048, China
Interests: meat; meat science; meat processing; green technologies; meat flavor; safety of meat products; nutrition of meat products
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Xinyan Peng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Life Sciences, Yantai University, Yantai, China
Interests: meat/aquatic products processing; food preservation; protein structure; protein functionality; functional foods
Dr. Jin Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Institute of Food Science, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, China
Interests: protein gel property; protein self-assembly; protein multi-scale structure; protein cross-linking; meat protein; interaction between protein and macromolecule
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Juan Yu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Life Sciences, Yantai University, Yantai, China
Interests: protein functionality; food processing and preservation; interaction mechanism of biological macromolecules; the structure-activities relationship of biological components

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Animal-derived food products are famed for their high edible value and ability to provide the body with energy and nutrition. Protein is one of the most vital nutritional and functional components in animal-derived foods, and plays a decisive role in the quality of edibility during processing and storage. Numerous studies have revealed that inappropriate treatments, such as preservation via freezing or repeated freeze–thaw cycles, can reduce the quality of animal-derived foods, including changing their texture, water-holding power, color, etc. In order to enhance the quality of animal-derived foods during processing and storage, it is necessary to discuss the various mechanisms implicated in the nutrition, flavor, texture, physiological and biochemical properties, sensory evaluation and microbial community of foods during different processing and storage treatments. This Special Issue will focus on the food products obtained from livestock (such as pork, beef, lamb, etc.), poultry (such as chicken, duck, etc.), and aquaculture (such as fish, shrimp, abalone, crab, shellfish, etc.). Meanwhile, this Special Issue will provide an overview of research addressing the interaction between meat protein and other added components (peptides, polyphenols, polysaccharides, proteins, starch, salts, etc.), as well as their influence on the microstructure, gel strength, solubility, emulsification properties, water retention, functional qualities, flavor characteristics, and oxidative stability of various foods.

Therefore, this Special Issue of Foods, entitled “Quality Changes and Improvement Technologies of Animal-Derived Foods during Storage and Processing” welcomes the submission of manuscripts (original research papers or reviews) addressing the current state of knowledge in the subject. Specifically, the scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following topics:

(i) A prospective discussion of the influence of various processing and storage techniques on the quality of animal-derived foods;

(ii) The effects of the added components on the physicochemical and functional properties of animal-derived foods during different storage and processing procedures;

(iii) The mechanisms of interaction between protein and other added components, such as peptides, polyphenols, polysaccharides, and micro-/nano-particles;

(iv) Novel processing or controlled storage technologies with the ability to enhance the quality of animal-derived foods;

(v) Changes in the mechanisms involved in the flavor, nutrition, and microbiological characteristics of animal-derived foods during storage or processing.

Prof. Dr. Jinxuan Cao
Prof. Dr. Xinyan Peng
Dr. Jin Zhang
Dr. Juan Yu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • animal-derived food products
  • frozen
  • repeated freezing and thawing
  • proteins
  • functional properties
  • interactions between protein and other molecules
  • physicochemical characteristics
  • fermentation processing
  • nutrition
  • flavor
  • microorganism
  • novel processing and storage technology

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 6689 KiB  
Article
Microbial Diversity and Community Structure of Chinese Fresh Beef during Cold Storage and Their Correlations with Off-Flavors
by Zhiping Zhao, Ziqing Ling, Xin Nie, Dayu Liu, Hongfan Chen and Shengyuan Zhang
Foods 2024, 13(10), 1482; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13101482 - 10 May 2024
Viewed by 916
Abstract
To investigate the diversity and dynamics of microorganisms in Chinese fresh beef (CFB) without acid discharge treatment during cold storage, high-throughput sequencing was employed to analyze the CFB refrigerated for 0, 3, 7, and 10 days. The results showed that the community richness [...] Read more.
To investigate the diversity and dynamics of microorganisms in Chinese fresh beef (CFB) without acid discharge treatment during cold storage, high-throughput sequencing was employed to analyze the CFB refrigerated for 0, 3, 7, and 10 days. The results showed that the community richness of the fungi and bacteria decreased significantly. However, the diversity decreased in the early stage and increased in the later stage. At the phylum level, Ascomycota (74.1–94.1%) and Firmicutes (77.3–96.8%) were the absolutely dominant fungal and bacterial phyla. The relative abundance of both fungal and bacterial phyla displayed a trend of increasing and then decreasing. At the genus level, Candida (29.3–52.5%) and Lactococcus (19.8–59.3%) were, respectively, the dominant fungal and bacterial genera. The relative abundance of Candida showed a trend of increasing and then decreasing, while Lactococcus possessed the opposite trend. KEGG metabolic pathways analysis suggested that carbohydrate metabolism, membrane transport, and amino acid metabolism were the major metabolic pathways of bacteria. Bugbase prediction indicated the major microbial phenotype of bacteria in CFB during cold storage was Gram-positive (17.2–31.6%). Correlation analysis suggested that Lactococcus, Citrobacter, Proteus, and Rhodotorula might be the main microorganisms promoting the production of off-flavor substances in CFB. This study provides a theoretical basis for the preservation of Chinese fresh beef. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality Changes and Improvement Technologies of Animal-Derived Foods during Storage and Processing)
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11 pages, 1900 KiB  
Article
The Investigation of Changes in Bacterial Community of Pasteurized Milk during Cold Storage
by Xinyi Lan, Shuyan Wu, Qijing Du and Li Min
Foods 2024, 13(3), 451; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13030451 - 31 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2640
Abstract
The quality of pasteurized milk is commonly assessed through microbiological analysis, with variations in storage conditions significantly impacting the suppression of bacterial growth throughout the milk’s shelf life. This study investigated the dynamics of total bacterial counts (TBCs) and bacterial community shifts in [...] Read more.
The quality of pasteurized milk is commonly assessed through microbiological analysis, with variations in storage conditions significantly impacting the suppression of bacterial growth throughout the milk’s shelf life. This study investigated the dynamics of total bacterial counts (TBCs) and bacterial community shifts in milk that underwent pasteurization at 80 °C for 15 s. The milk was subsequently stored at 4 °C for varying intervals of 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, and 16 days. Culture-based testing revealed a significant TBC increase during the storage period spanning 1 to 16 days (up to −log10 4.2 CFU/mL at day 16). The TBC in pasteurized milk exhibited accelerated microbial growth from day 13 onwards, ultimately peaking on day 16. Bacillus was detected through 16S rRNA identification. Principal component analysis demonstrated a significant impact of storage time on bacterial communities in pasteurized milk. Analysis of bacterial diversity revealed a negative correlation between the Shannon index and the duration of pasteurized milk storage. Using high-throughput sequencing, Streptococcus and Acinetobacter were detected as prevalent bacterial genera, with Streptococcus dysgalactiae and Streptococcus uberis showing as dominant taxa. The presence of Streptococcus dysgalactiae and Streptococcus uberis in pasteurized milk might be attributed to the initial contamination from raw milk with mastitis. This study offers new evidence of the prevalence of bacterial community in pasteurized milk, thereby adding value to the enhancement of quality control and the development of strategies for reducing microbial risks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality Changes and Improvement Technologies of Animal-Derived Foods during Storage and Processing)
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16 pages, 2386 KiB  
Article
Protection of Whey Polypeptide on the Lipid Oxidation, Color, and Textural Stability of Frozen–Thawed Spanish Mackerel Surimi
by Yunying Li, Lingru Kong, Xiaotong Zhang, Rongxin Wen and Xinyan Peng
Foods 2023, 12(24), 4464; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12244464 - 13 Dec 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1434
Abstract
Repeated freeze–thaw (FT) cycles can have an impact on surimi quality. In this study, we used 0.02% BHA as a positive control group. We examined the effects of different concentrations (0%, 5%, 10%, and 15%) of whey protein hydrolysate (WPH) on surimi, focusing [...] Read more.
Repeated freeze–thaw (FT) cycles can have an impact on surimi quality. In this study, we used 0.02% BHA as a positive control group. We examined the effects of different concentrations (0%, 5%, 10%, and 15%) of whey protein hydrolysate (WPH) on surimi, focusing on alterations in color metrics (L* for brightness, a* for red–green, b* for yellow–blue, and overall whiteness), textural characteristics, and antioxidant capacity during various freeze–thaw (FT) cycles. The results showed that the lipid oxidant values of surimi, as well as its a* and b* values, rose as the number of FT cycles increased; whereas the adhesiveness, resilience, gumminess, and shear force dropped, as did L* and the whiteness values, leading to an overall darkening of color and gloss. By contrast, the study found that the addition of WPH could effectively slow down the decrease of surimi textural stability after repeated freeze–thawing, with the textural stability of the group with 15% WPH being significantly superior to those of the other groups (p < 0.05). Under the same number of cycles, adding 15% WPH to the experimental group could successfully lower total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) and effectively increase the antioxidant activity of surimi. This finding suggested that 15% WPH had the greatest effect on increasing surimi FT stability. To conclude, it was proved that WPH can be added to frozen surimi and improve its quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality Changes and Improvement Technologies of Animal-Derived Foods during Storage and Processing)
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18 pages, 5398 KiB  
Article
Insights into the Protein Differentiation Mechanism between Jinhua Fatty Ham and Lean Ham through Label-Free Proteomics
by Qicheng Huang, Ruoyu Xie, Xiaoli Wu, Ke Zhao, Huanhuan Li, Honggang Tang, Hongying Du, Xinyan Peng, Lihong Chen and Jin Zhang
Foods 2023, 12(23), 4348; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12234348 - 1 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1412
Abstract
Jinhua lean ham (LH), a dry-cured ham made from the defatted hind legs of pigs, has become increasingly popular among consumers with health concerns. However, the influence of fat removal on the quality of Jinhua ham is still not fully understood. Therefore, a [...] Read more.
Jinhua lean ham (LH), a dry-cured ham made from the defatted hind legs of pigs, has become increasingly popular among consumers with health concerns. However, the influence of fat removal on the quality of Jinhua ham is still not fully understood. Therefore, a label-free proteomics strategy was used to explore the protein differential profile between Jinhua fatty ham (FH) and lean ham (LH). Results showed that 179 differential proteins (DPs) were detected, including 82 up-regulated and 97 down-regulated DPs in LH vs. FH, among which actin, myosin, tropomyosin, aspartate aminotransferase, pyruvate carboxylase, and glucose-6-phosphate isomerase were considered the key DPs. GO analysis suggested that DPs were mainly involved in binding, catalytic activity, cellular process, and metabolic process, among which catalytic activity was significantly up-regulated in LH. Moreover, the main KEGG-enriched pathways of FH focused on glycogen metabolism, mainly including the TCA cycle, pyruvate metabolism, and glycolysis/gluconeogenesis. However, amino acid metabolism and oxidative phosphorylation were the main metabolic pathways in LH. From the protein differentiation perspective, fat removal significantly promoted protein degradation, amino acid metabolism, and the oxidative phosphorylation process. These findings could help us to understand the effects of fat removal on the nutritional metabolism of Jinhua hams and provide theoretical supports for developing healthier low-fat meat products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality Changes and Improvement Technologies of Animal-Derived Foods during Storage and Processing)
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Review

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16 pages, 645 KiB  
Review
The Contribution of Microorganisms to the Quality and Flavor Formation of Chinese Traditional Fermented Meat and Fish Products
by Jingjing Mao, Xinyi Wang, Hongfan Chen, Zhiping Zhao, Dayu Liu, Yin Zhang and Xin Nie
Foods 2024, 13(4), 608; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13040608 - 17 Feb 2024
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2209
Abstract
Guizhou sour meat and sour fish, Chaoshan fish sauce, Sichuan sausage and bacon, Cantonese sausage, Jinhua ham, and Xinjiang air-dried beef are eight representatives of Chinese traditional fermented meat and fish products (FMFPs), which are favored by Chinese consumers due to their high [...] Read more.
Guizhou sour meat and sour fish, Chaoshan fish sauce, Sichuan sausage and bacon, Cantonese sausage, Jinhua ham, and Xinjiang air-dried beef are eight representatives of Chinese traditional fermented meat and fish products (FMFPs), which are favored by Chinese consumers due to their high nutritional value and quality. The quality of the spontaneously fermented Chinese traditional FMFP is closely correlated with microorganisms. Moreover, the dominant microorganisms are significantly different due to regional differences. The effects of microorganisms on the texture, color, flavor, nutrition, functional properties, and safety of Chinese traditional FMFPs have not been not fully described. Additionally, metabolic pathways for flavor formation of Chinese traditional FMFPs have not well been summarized. This article describes the seven characteristic Chinese traditional FMFPs and correlated dominant microorganisms in different regions of China. The effects of microorganisms on the texture, color, and flavor of Chinese traditional FMFPs are discussed. Furthermore, the metabolic pathways of microbial regulation of flavor formation in Chinese traditional FMFPs are proposed. This work provides a theoretical basis for improvement of Chinese traditional FMFPs by inoculating functional microorganisms isolated from Chinese traditional fermented foods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality Changes and Improvement Technologies of Animal-Derived Foods during Storage and Processing)
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