There were two objectives of the present study using dietary fish oil (FO) in pigs: to use pigs as a model for studying the effects of high FO doses on selected physiological markers; and to evaluate the physical traits and nutritive value of pork enriched with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids n-3. Two groups of six female pigs were fed for 30 days with either a standard feed mixture (control, C) or the same mixture supplemented with 8% FO (F). Physical characteristics of the muscle, fatty acid deposition in tissues and selected hematologic and plasma markers were tested. The daily weight gain of the F-pigs was lower in comparison with controls (p < 0.05). Dietary fish oil decreased Warner-Bratzler shear force of the longissimus muscle (p < 0.01). The eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid content was higher (p < 0.05) in all tested F-tissues. Dietary fish oil had no effect on plasma cholesterol (p < 0.05), but it increased plasma triacylglycerol levels by 260% (p < 0.05), and increased counts of leukocytes, neutrophils, and eosinophils in the blood plasma (p < 0.05). In conclusion, high dietary FO improved the texture and nutritive value of meat, but negatively affected plasma biochemical parameters.

The objective of the present study was to increase by dietary means the long‐chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC‐PUFA) n‐3 content in selected meat products. Fatty acid (FA) composition, texture, sensory characteristics, and oxidative stability were determined in the Vienna sausages (V‐sausages) and Bologna‐type salami (B‐salami) produced from the meat of six pigs fed a standard feed (control, C) and six pigs fed a standard feed enriched with 8% of fish oil (F), respectively. The saturated FA content in the unheated FV and FB products was decreased (p < 0.05) by 24% and 39%, PUFA n‐6/n‐3 ratio improved (p < 0.001) from 13.9 to 2.8 and from 13.5 to 2.6, respectively. LC‐PUFA n‐3 content in the VF and BF products was 360 and 214 mg/100 g, which corresponds to 80% and 48% of the recommended daily intake. Interestingly, dietary fish oil decreased (p < 0.01) instrumentally the measured core hardness of the V‐sausages, but increased (p < 0.001) this texture characteristic in the B‐salami. Malondialdehyde content in the VF and BF products increased (p < 0.05) on average by 23% and the flavor of the heated FV sausages scored lower (p < 0.05) in comparison with the C‐counterparts.

Consumers in Czech Republic have high income of salt from food, therefore, there are efforts to reduce its content in meat products. The subject of this work was to examine differences in sensory evaluation of sliced cooked salami (Gothajský salami), manufactured according to various recipes. This type of meat product is well known primarily to the older generation of consumers, so the aim was to find out the differences in the perception of various samples between generations. The monitoring factors were salt content (1.6% or 2.0%), presence of monosodium glutamate (PG = presence or AG = absence) and group of evaluators (YC = 18 – 26 years old or OC = more than 60 years old). Older sensory panellists (OC; against YC) significantly (p ˂0.05) evaluated all samples more positively, especially in the taste and odour descriptors. Samples with monosodium glutamate (PG1.6 and PG2.0) were rated in the taste significantly better (p ˂0.05), regardless of the age of the assessors (YC and OC). Samples with reduced salt, without glutamate (AG1.6) were significantly worst evaluated (p ˂0.05) by both the groups (YC and OC) than PG2.0 samples.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Tenebrio molitor larvae meal supplementation in chicken diets on the chemical composition and sensory quality of meat. The experiment was conducted on 120 Ross 308 male broilers from day 12 to day 38 of their age. Broilers were divided into three equal groups with 5 replicates per treatment. The two experimental groups received feed mixtures containing 2% (TM2; n = 40) and 5% (TM5; n = 40), respectively of yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L.) meal. The third group (TM0; n = 40) was control, receiving 0% of mealworms in diet. The addition of mealworm meal to diets in this trial do not worsen the chemical composition or sensory characteristics of the thigh meat of broilers. The control chickens had a higher live weight (P < 0.05) compared to the experimental groups at the end of the trial. The lowest live weight and feed intake was determined in group TM2 (P < 0.05). The highest feed intake (P < 0.05) was found in the control group. The breast meat from the control group was rated better (P < 0.05) in flavour compared to the groups receiving 2% and 5% of yellow mealworms. The primary requirement for the use of any ingredient in feed is that it does not adversely affect food safety and quality. In our study, the inclusion of 2% and 5% mealworm meal in the broiler’s diet had no influence on meat quality.