• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.10
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• pp.1663-1673
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• 2021

Objective: Pork belly is considered as the most commercially important and preferable primal cut by consumers worldwide. Thus, this study was conducted to determine the effects of fat levels on the meat quality characteristics of pork bellies. Methods: Seventy-eight growing-finishing pigs collected from different commercial pig farms were slaughtered and used in the present study. After slaughter 24 h, bellies were fabricated according to the Korean Pork Cutting Specification, and immediately sampled for analysis of their fat content. Based on the fat levels, the bellies were segregated into three different groups: low fat (LF, fat ≤20%, n = 15), medium fat (MF, fat 21% to 30%, n = 30), and high fat (HF, fat ≥31%, n = 33). The bellies were then analyzed for meat quality traits, fatty acids, flavor compounds and eating quality properties. Results: The HF group had lower moisture and cooking loss levels compared to the other groups (p<0.05). The LF group presented higher proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acids compared to the other groups (p<0.05). The LF group showed higher amounts of the Maillard reaction-derived flavor compounds (e.g., 2,5-dimethyl pyrazine, 2-ethyl-3,5-dimethyl, and 4-methylthiazole) associated with meaty and roasty flavors whereas, the HF group showed higher amounts of oleic acid- derived compounds (e.g., nonanal and octanal) associated with the fatty and oily flavors. Interestingly, significantly higher scores for all the eating quality attributes (flavor, juiciness, tenderness, and overall acceptance) were found in the HF group compared to those in the LF or MF group (p<0.05). Conclusion: The high-fat bellies (fat ≥31%) had a better technological quality and eating quality compared to the low-fat bellies (fat ≤20%). Thus, increasing the fat content may improve the technological quality and eating quality traits of pork bellies, however, this increase may also result in more trimmed loss due to excessively deposited body fat.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.143-159
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• 2023

The study aimed to evaluate the antioxidative effects of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) and clove (Syzgyium aromaticum L.) essential oils on fried Korean native thigh meat, including their impact on processed characteristics and flavor compounds. Clove essential oil showed higher DPPH scavenging activity, FRAP and total phenol content compared to rosemary essential oil (P<0.05). The treatments with the addition of 0.005% and 0.01% rosemary (0.005RB and 0.01RB) and clove (0.005CB and 0.01CB) essential oils to the batter weight compared to control that did not include essential oils in batter. The addition of rosemary and clove essential oils to fried Korean native chicken thigh meat did not significant affect proximate composition, pH, TBARS, sensory characteristics. Except for 0.005CB, treatments adding essential oils decreased cooking loss (P<0.05) and 0.005CB showed significantly higher pick-up value than control. Addition of clove essential oil in fried Korean native chicken thigh meat resulted in higher levels of arachidonic acid compared to control (P<0.05). Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) analysis showed that addition of rosemary essential oil might mask its own VOCs, while clove essential oil addition reduced some pyrazine compounds. Although addition of rosemary and clove essential oil did not have significant sensory characteristics on fried Korean native chicken thigh meat, instrumental analysis revealed changes in the compounds that influenced flavor. Further studies are required to evaluate the stability of flavor and sensory characteristics of fried Korean native chicken thigh meat with added essential oils during storage.