Fermented chicken dendeng is a traditional dried meat product with improved nutritional and microbiological quality due to fermentation. This study evaluates the effects of Lactobacillus plantarum and Moringa oleifera supplementation on pH, titratable acidity (TA), bacterial count, and proximate composition. The pH values ranged from 4.09 to 4.62, with the lowest in the 6 % L. plantarum + 2.5 % M. oleifera treatment. Titratable acidity was the highest (1.47 %) in the 6 % L. plantarum group but decreased with M. oleifera addition. The highest bacterial count (6.535 log CFU/g) was observed in the 6 % L. plantarum + 5 % M. oleifera group, indicating probiotic activity. Proximate analysis shows that fermentation enhances quality. Protein content increased with M. oleifera, reaching 58.2 % in the 6 % L. plantarum + 5 % M. oleifera treatment. Fat content remained stable (8.6 % — 9.3 %), while ash content increased to 5.1 %. These findings suggest that fermented chicken dendeng with L. plantarum and optimal M. oleifera supplementation had improved microbial stability and protein retention. Further research is needed to assess storage stability and sensory attributes.

Residual concentrations of antibiotics in animal-derived foods represent a serious threat for human health facilitating formation and spreading of antimicrobial resistance. Despite of normative restrictions that regulate the content of antibiotics in foods, mechanisms of their degradation and transformation under an effect of various technological factors, such as freezing and heat treatment, have been studied insufficiently yet. The topicality of this issue is determined by the fact that residual amounts of antibiotics can enter the food chain, which leads to their unintended consumption by humans. This, in turn, can promote selection of resistant pathogenic microorganisms, which is one of the key problems of modern medicine. The aim of this study was a complex assessment of model matrices containing meat raw materials contaminated with antibiotics of different pharmacological groups: penicillins, tetracyclines, amphenicols, aminoglycosides and polypeptides. Contamination of samples (chicken breast, rabbit meat and chicken liver) was carried out in concentrations that corresponded and exceeded maximum permissible levels specified in the normative documentation. Confirmation of the contamination levels was performed by HPLC–MS/MS with deviations not higher than 5 %. In this study, a comprehensive assessment of an effect of storage conditions at a subzero temperature and heat treatment (a range from –18 °C to +72 °C) on the residual concentrations of antibiotics was carried out. The study included analysis of the stability of the molecular structure, degradation kinetics of active components and preservation of pharmacological properties of antibiotics. Freezing did not exert a significant effect on the concentration, while heat treatment led to various degrees of degradation of the tested compounds. The most heat labile were chloroamphenicol and tetracyclines (losses up to 90 %), whereas bacitracin and streptomycin showed the highest stability (losses ≤40 %). The results obtained corroborate partial destruction of antibiotics upon culinary treatment and emphasize a need for strict control of the residues in meat products.

Biofilm formation on food processing surfaces creates persistent reservoirs of microbial contamination, including opportunistic pathogens, posing a serious risk to product quality and safety, while standard monitoring programs are often ineffective at detecting them in hard­to­reach niches. The aim of the study was a comparative analysis of microbial contamination and biofilm prevalence on surfaces in a meat processing plant (MPP) and a poultry processing plant (PPP). Samples were collected by swabbing from various surfaces in the production environment. Significant differences in biofilm prevalence were revealed: at the PPP, biofilms were detected in 85.7 % of samples (6 out of 7), whereas at the MPP, only in 25 % (2 out of 8). The microbiota of both plants was characterized by the dominance of bacteria of the genera Pseudomonas, Serratia, Raoultella, and yeasts of the genus Candida. The presence of opportunistic pathogens (Enterococcus faecalis, Yersinia spp.) and indicator microorganisms (Escherichia coli) was established. Biofilms formed predominantly in hard­to­reach areas with moisture (transport wheels, bottom sides of equipment, and walls of chilling tunnels). The study demonstrates the systemic and uneven formation of biofilms, which act as persistent sources of contamination. Their detection in non­obvious locations not covered by standard monitoring indicates the need to revise sampling points and sanitation procedures for effective microbiological risk control in food processing facilities.

This study aims to investigate the effects of a diet supplementation of a mixture of cinnamon powder and clay (kaolin or marl) on growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality, and tibial morphometric characteristics of broiler chickens. A total of 120 broiler chicks were randomly assigned to three dietary treatment groups: control (CON), a mixture of 0.3 % cinnamon powder and 2.7 % kaolin (KCP), and a blend of 0.3 % cinnamon powder and 2.7 % marl (MCP), with five replicates of eight birds per treatment group. The results revealed that body weight, weight gain, and feed conversion ratio were significantly higher in birds receiving KCP or MCP mixture than in birds receiving CON (p < 0.05). Additionally, these groups exhibited superior carcass traits, including increased dressing percentage, higher breast and thigh weights, and reduced abdominal fat. The pH values at 24 h were higher in the KCP and MCP groups compared to the CON group. Additionally, these treatments resulted in a significant reduction in drip and cooking losses, indicating improved water-holding capacity and enhanced bone health in the tibia. Therefore, it was inferred that a combination of cinnamon powder and silicate minerals is a viable alternative to antibiotic growth promoters in broiler diets to improve growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality, and bone quality.

This article discusses the development and application of a digital twin (DT) for intelligent engineering of a specialized meatbased product. The focus is on the use of advanced intelligent optimization methods to create a virtual model capable of adaptively real time managing the formula and process parameters, in accordance with the product’s final purpose. To solve a food engineering problem (optimization of product formula and production modes), three metaheuristic intelligent algorithms were applied and compared: genetic algorithm (GA), particle swarm optimization (PSO), and sparrow search algorithm (SSA). The results of the comparative analysis demonstrated that SSA algorithm provided the best accuracy and convergence in solving the assigned optimi zation problems, making it the preferred tool for integration into the digital twin system. SSA algorithm demonstrates the ability to escape local optima, thereby avoiding the problem of premature convergence typical for some metaheuristic methods, such as GA and PSO algorithms. Based on an optimized digital twin, this approach enables dynamic prediction of physicochemical pa rameters, their compliance with the established medical and biological requirements for the final product, promptly adjusting its formula to meet the intended purpose of providing complete nutrition and enhancing the rehabilitation of patients with traumatic brain injuries (TBI), and ensures flexibility when scaling the technology or transferring production to another facility. Digital twins, integrating data from smart sensors and biosensors based on big data analysis, are the foundation for creating a safe, trace able, and adaptive food system. The study demonstrates that intelligent engineering based on a digital twin is a key technology for creating personalized, safe, and effective specialized food products within the framework of modern manufacturing principles and One Health concept.

This study evaluated the preservative potential of Japanese bamboo leaf (Dracaena surculosa Lindl.) pulp to extend the refrigerated shelf life of beef. Beef cubes were soaked in aqueous pulp at 50 % and 75 % (w/w) for 1, 2, or 3 hours, then stored at 5 °C and tested on days 0, 5, and 10. A test for saponin availability produced a stable foam (2 cm for 5 minutes), thus confirming presence of saponins in the pulp. Measured parameters were color (CIE L*, a*, b*), texture (hardness, gf), pH, total protein and total plate count (TPC). The experiment used a two­factor completely randomized design of the trial, with data analysis of ANOVA followed by Honestly Significant Difference (HSD) test at the 5 % significance level. The results showed that pulp concentration, soaking time, and their interaction significantly affected several parameters (P < 0.05). The 75 % pulp reduced texture loss versus control sample, with the 75 % and 2 h soaking as the most effective combination. Although pH increased during storage for most samples, pH remained comparatively stable in 75 % cases (5.58–5.85 to day 5). Higher pulp concentration delayed microbial growth: on day 10 TPC in the 75 % treatments was 2.5 × 10⁶ CFU/g compared with 4.5 × 10⁶ CFU/g in the control. In conclusion, Japanese bamboo leaf pulp at 75 % with a 2 h soaking shows promising capacity as a natural shelf­life extender for chilled beef; further work on sensory evaluation and mechanistic studies is recommended. These findings support sustainable, plant­based preservation strategies for meat industry.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) remains a persistent threat in this century. While public debate often focuses on human medicine, the agricultural sector plays a crucial role in the emergence and mitigation of antimicrobial resistance. The growth of intensive livestock farming has encouraged antibiotic use across all animal sectors, including poultry production. Research on poultry meat in various regions of the world has revealed high levels of AMR, exceeding required standards. Encouragingly, significant progress has been made in recent years in reducing antibiotic use in livestock farming, particularly in poultry production. Despite ongoing efforts, AMR continues to spread in many countries, highlighting the urgent need to implement antibiotic reduction strategies. Robust surveillance systems and responsible antimicrobial use are essential. Without them, progress made in some regions risks being undone by uncontrolled practices. This article summarizes scientific research on antimicrobial resistance in poultry meat in different countries and its consequences for public health.

Food allergy, which manifests itself as an oversensitivity of the body’s immune system to certain kinds of foods, affects a significant share of the world’s population and represents a serious issue. The aim of this study was to evaluate the allergenic potential of beef exposed to a probiotic microbial consortium. The developed consortium, which consisted of strains: Lactobacillus plantarum 7K, Lactobacillus paracasei k406, Pediococcus acidilactici PDA27 and Staphylococcus carnosus SPHC108, exhibited high proteolytic activity against beef proteins (after three days of fermentation, the degree of hydrolysis reached up 21.5 %). The allergenic potential of fermented beef and unfermented beef was studied in the experimental animals (rats) that were exposed to simulation of artifi cially induced systemic anaphylactic reaction to ovalbumin. It was found that, against the background of ovalbumin sensitization, the inclusion of fermented meat into the rats’ diet reduced the severity of the anaphylactic reaction by 43.5 % compared to the cor responding parameters among the rats that were fed with unfermented meat. The concentration of specific antibodies (IgG) to oval bumin in the blood serum of the experimental animals, that were fed with fermented meat, was also significantly lower (p ≤ 0.05). Animals that received the fermented food along with the sensitization background featured greater body weight gain at the end of the experiment. The fecal counts of lactobacteria and bifidobacteria in the animals in this group fed with fermented meat along with ovalbumin sensitization and along with anaphylactic reaction development increased fourfold in comparison with to the group of rats fed with unfermented meat. Histological studies showed that introducing fermented meat into the diet along with food sensitization did not cause significant morphofunctional changes in the mesenteric lymph node structures, whereas the animals fed with unfermented meat demonstrated the signs of decompensation and immune mechanisms stress. These results demonstrate the potential of using meat fermented with probiotic microorganisms consortium as promising approach to reducing food allergies risk.