The aim was to evaluate the influence of preservation by heat and cold on the physicochemical and microbiological characteristics and bioactive compounds of pulp from sapota-do-Solimões (Quararibea cordata) for 180 days of storage. The pulps were submitted to the following treatments: freezing; pasteurization + freezing; refrigeration; and pasteurization + refrigeration. The treatments affected the physicochemical parameters during storage. Of particular note was the reduction in water activity, the reduction in pH in the pulps stored under refrigeration, and the lightening in color of the pulps. Ascorbic acid remained stable during freezing, and the levels of total carotenoids were maintained in the pasteurization + freezing treatment. The total phenolics remained stable up to 150 days, and the antioxidant activity decreased during storage for all the treatments. The coliforms were less than 1 log CFU.g −1 and Salmonella ssp. was absent. The pasteurization + freezing treatment, as well as the freezing treatment, maintained the quality of the pulp for 180 days of storage.

Intramuscular fat (IMF) influences important quality characteristics of meat

The physicochemical composition and the technological and sensory properties of hamburgers made with meat from Ile de France lambs fed on different levels (0, 10, 20, 30 and 40%) of whole cottonseed were studied. The addition of whole cottonseed to the lambs' diets decreased the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances in the lamb meat and altered the physicochemical characteristics of the hamburgers, which were characterised by low lipid ( ), cholesterol ( ) and caloric content ( ). The results regarding cooking characteristics were directly related to the microscopic observations regarding the hamburgers; the more cohesive structures exhibited better performance after cooking, with increased cooking yield and moisture retention, and decreased cooking loss. The levels of whole cottonseed did not influence the texture profile, but they negatively affected the acceptability of the hamburgers, since as the levels of cotton seedlings increased, the scores for the sensorial attributes decreased. Thus, a maximum inclusion of 16.7% of whole cottonseed in the dry matter of the diet of lambs is recommended.