Spoilage that often occurs in jerky is generally caused by the fat oxidation process, either during the manufacturing process, heating, or storage, and can lead to health hazards. This study was conducted to examine the potential of kluwak as a natural antioxidant that can reduce the oxidation process, by exploring its effects on antioxidant activity and physical properties, namely L*a*b* color values and cooking loss of jerky with the addition of kluwak. Kluwak, originating from community gardens in Soppeng Regency, Makassar, Indonesia, was used as an additional ingredient in making ground beef jerky. The part of meat used was the thigh, obtained from a slaughterhouse, and different levels of kluwak — namely 0 %, 2 %, 4 %, and 6 %—were added. The research results show that the addition of kluwak to jerky increases antioxidant activity, as indicated by higher values in the antioxidant activity test using the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) method, which signifies increased antioxidant capacity. In addition, the use of kluwak also showed a significant effect on the color parameters a* and b*, indicating positive changes in the visual appearance of the product. However, no significant effect was found for the L* color parameter, which measures brightness, and no difference was observed in the cooking loss of the jerky. In conclusion, kluwak can function as an effective natural antioxidant in reducing fat oxidation in jerky, while providing positive changes in product color without affecting brightness or cooking loss.

   The review was prepared in order to systematize the knowledge obtained in the recent years by the scientists from all over the world in the field of veterinary drugs application in the animal husbandry and the ways of management of their content in food products. It includes information on almost all currently known groups of antibiotics applied in animal husbandry, it considers the ways to reduce their amount in raw materials and / or the finished products, and describes the methods and procedures used to detect the residues of the veterinary drugs in raw materials and food products. It is not possible to run modern animal husbandry without the veterinary drugs. The global application of the veterinary drugs in animal husbandry exceeds 12 thousand tons, most of which are antibiotics for the infectious diseases treatment or prevention. Using the antibiotics in rearing the farm animals has led to the problem of their residues and / or metabolites in the raw materials and finished food products, which is why these food products cannot be considered safe for human consumption. The build-up of antibiotics in animal tissues depends on the group of the veterinary drug being used, and on the type of an animal. The content of residual amounts of some groups of antibiotics can be reduced by heat treatment of the meat. However, heat treatment can lead to the formation of new compounds that are potentially dangerous for the human health. Various analytical methods are used to determine the content of residual amounts of veterinary drugs in the food products, including enzyme immunoassay, chromatographic methods, biosensors and microbiological methods. The methods reviewed here for detecting the residual amounts of antibiotics in food products have their own advantages and disadvantages. In general, modern methods can currently detect the residues in food products of all known groups of antibiotics, used in animal husbandry, but it is necessary to keep on working on their improvement.

   The exposure of meat to heating (cooking) or cold storage could alter its chemical composition. In this work, the oxidizing effect of heating on rabbit and camel meat, and the protective effect of nigella oil (NO) were evaluated and compared. Samples of rabbit and camel meat were treated with increasing doses of NO, and then were heated until reaching an internal temperature of 80 °C. Water loss, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and carbonyls levels, as well as activities of catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), were analyzed at different meat storage times. The results showed that heating of camel and rabbit meat induced a significant increase in the water loss, and TBARS and carbonyls levels, associated with a significant decrease in the activities of CAT, GSHPx and SOD. In both species, TBARS and carbonyls in the meat samples treated with NO before heating were significantly (P < 0.05) lower than those in the untreated samples, and decreased more and more when the NO dose increased. In the samples treated with NO, all enzymatic activities were significantly (P < 0.05) higher than those observed in the untreated samples, and increased more and more with increasing NO dose. The findings reveal a potential antioxidant power of NO preserving the organoleptic composition of heated camel and rabbit meat.

   Proteins may cause food allergies, the prevalence of which is growing worldwide. The intestinal microbiota takes an active part in stimulating and maintaining the functions of the body’s immune system by producing humoral factors: enzymes, cytokines, mediators involved in the development of the immune response. The study of microbial consortium effect, which has high enzymatic activity, on reducing the reactivity of the body’s immune response is of interest.

   The aim of the work was to study the biotransformation of horse meat proteins based on the use of probiotic consortium to obtain hypoallergenic meat raw materials.

   The object of the research was horse meat cooled for 24 hours at a temperature of 2 to 4 °С.

   The control: untreated meat samples; test 1: horse meat treated with a starter culture of one strain of Lactobacillus paracasei k-406; test 2: horse meat treated with a combined starter culture of four strains of Lactobacillus (Lactobacillus curvatus LCR-111–1, Lactobacillus plantarum 8RAZ, Lactobacillus fermentum 44/1 and Lactobacillus paracasei k-406). The microbial consortium was selected taking into account its biological compatibility and biotechnological potential, in particular, proteolytic activity. The degree of hydrolysis, technological parameters, fiber microstructure and the level of sensitization were determined. High proteolytic activity of the microbial consortium used for horse meat treatment was noted compared to the sample treated with a single-strain culture. Thus, the degree of hydrolysis after three days increased 4 times compared to the original raw material, which contributed to an increase in the hydrophilicity of the meat system by 11.8 % and a decrease in the shear strength by 13.1 % compared to the control (unfermented horse meat). Probiotic consortium caused a proteolytic modification of horse meat proteins, resulting in a decrease in the level of antigenic epitopes, which contributed to a decrease in the sensitizing activity of meat raw materials. This indicates the prospects for using such raw materials in the production of hypoallergenic meat products.

   This paper presents the study results of the microbiological composition in the industrial environment at four pork slaughter and processing plants (MPPs). The sample included plants with various production problems and different process features.

   The purpose of this study was to determine the priority bacterial groups typical for all studied plants, as well as to identify specific microorganisms associated with the individual characteristics of each plant.

   Representatives of Pseudomonas, Candida, and Escherichia genera dominated at all four plants, but each plant had its own unique characteristics. Thus, at MPP No. 1, where no preliminary decapitation was performed, a high level of industrial environment contamination with Escherichia genus microorganisms and pathogenic microorganisms, Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes, was observed. At MPP No. 2, which allows the acceptance of raw materials with defects, a significant counts of Staphylococcus genus microorganisms were detected. Pseudomonas, Carnobacterium, and Enterobacteriaceae genera were detected at MPPs No. 3 and No. 4, where systematic spoilage of finished products was revealed. Analysis results showed that individual technological stages and conditions at different plants create a unique environment that promotes the development of certain groups of microorganisms. The introduction of expanded microbiological monitoring, changes in technology, and the development of individual recommendations for each plant will reduce the risks of microbial contamination, improve product quality, and increase its safety for consumers.

   This study investigates the effectiveness of the alcoholic extract of Gundelia tournefortii L. in mitigating the effects of Salmonella Typhimurium infection on hematological parameters and liver and kidney function in laboratory animals. S. Typhimurium was isolated from 23 samples of food and stool collected from pediatric patients (aged 1–6 years) with diarrhea at Salah al-Din Hospital. The findings indicate that infection with S. Typhimurium led to a significant increase (P < 0.05) in total white blood cell (WBC) and platelet counts, reaching 28.16 × 10³/µL and 713 × 10³/µL, respectively, compared to the control values of 8.50 × 10³/µL and 658 × 10³/µL. Conversely, red blood cell (RBC) and hemoglobin (Hb) levels were significantly reduced (P < 0.05) in infected animals, measuring 5.79 × 10⁶/µL and 13.0 g/dL, respectively, compared to 4.60 × 10⁶/µL and 14.10 g/dL in the control group. Liver function tests revealed elevated levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in infected rats, with values of 164.0, 142.0, and 66.0 IU/L, respectively, compared to the control values. Renal function analysis showed a significant increase (P < 0.05) in urea concentration in the infected group (48.5 mg/dL) relative to the controls (41.2 mg/dL), while no significant differences were observed in creatinine levels between groups. Notably, administration of the alcoholic extract at doses of 200 and 400 µg/kg significantly mitigated the adverse effects of infection, demonstrating its potential therapeutic efficacy.

   The purpose of this study was to measure the level of BUN in dairy cows and its influence on services per conception (S/C) rate, milk output, and the forage to concentrate (F/C) ratio.

   Oestrogen concentrations were also assessed based on BUN level and pregnancy rate. Three blood samples were taken for the measurement of estrogen on the day of AI (D0), seven days later (D + 7), and twenty-two days later (D + 22). From the entire herd, a batch of eighteen dairy cows in total were chosen at random and split to the groups based on S/C, milk output, F/C ratio, BUN, and pregnancy rate. The means of BUN based on F/C ratio showed significant difference (p < 0.05) of the results. Each group’s estrogen concentration on D0 and D + 7 did not significantly differ (p>0.05) in regards to BUN and pregnancy rate, while the group of non-pregnant cows with high BUN featured lower value. However, in D + 22, the group of non-pregnant cows with high BUN showed a lower estrogen concentration than the group of pregnant cows with low BUN (p < 0.05), while the group of pregnant cows with low BUN had a higher BUN concentration than the group of non-pregnant cows with low BUN (p > 0.05). These results indicated that while feed could alter BUN concentrations, non-feeding factors should also be taken into account. S/C and milk yield were found to provide no effect on BUN concentrations. According to these findings, a higher BUN concentration decreased the CR value, and concentrations of BUN ≥ 18 mg/dL led to lower levels of estrogen.

   This study investigated Cistus ladanifer essential oil (CLEO) as a natural preservative for minced chicken patties during 10-day storage at 4 ± 1 °C. CLEO was applied either directly or encapsulated in sodium alginate beads and compared to controls (sterile water). Encapsulated CLEO demonstrated superior efficacy, reducing total mesophilic bacteria by 2.03 log CFU/g, Enterobacteriaceae by 1.83 log CFU/g, and Pseudomonas spp. by 1.91 log CFU/g versus controls (p < 0.05). It also stabilized pH, maintaining values 1.6 units lower than spoilage thresholds. Color (L*, a*, b*) and texture (hardness, cohesion, springiness) were significantly preserved, with encapsulated CLEO showing 25 % greater texture retention than direct application. The results highlight CLEO’s dual antimicrobial-antioxidant capacity, enhanced by encapsulation and controlled release. While prior research confirmed CLEO’s bioactivity, this is the first demonstration of its meat preservation potential. The findings support CLEO-alginate systems as a clean-label solution for extending poultry shelf life, aligning with industry demand for natural alternatives to synthetic additives.

   Pastirma, a traditional dry-cured meat product from Turkey, is manufactured after a long drying process. In the study, we aimed to expedite the primary drying process, which is the lengthiest phase in pastirma production, by implementing the innovative infrared drying method, while preserving the sensory attributes of traditionally dried pastirma. Various physicochemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics of pastirma samples from two different muscles obtained by three various drying methods: traditional open-air (OA), climate-controlled chamber (CC) and infrared (IR) drying, were studied. The findings showed that IR drying, which reduced the drying time from 7 days to 2 days, produced the best quality in terms of sensory properties. Also, the lowest TBA values (0.07–0.13 mg/kg) were observed in IR dried samples. IR and CC drying solved the problem of uneven drying process of pastirma which was often encountered during the OA drying process. With the use of IR, the drying process of pastirma was rapid and the product quality was equivalent or even better than that of the other methods used in this research. This innovative approach of using IR drying can be adopted by the pastirma industry to facilitate the production of traditional products.

   The thematic review is aimed at the integrated analysis of the aging process of various meat types in correlation with the applied method (“dry”, “wet”), and a review of the packaging methods for proteolytic processes responsible for the formation of taste, aroma, color and texture of the finished food product. Analysis of scientific publications showed that the “dry” aging of meat creates a more pronounced sensory profile, but increases weight loss. “Wet” aging (vacuum aging) creates optimal anaerobic conditions for active proteolysis, thus ensuring a tender and juicy texture due to improved moisture-binding capacity. In the course of the study, unconventional approaches to raw meat aging were found, including the use fungal starter culture, mineral water, and wrapping in parchment paper to improve rheological properties. The modern packaging technologies, including vacuum packaging and the use of the modified atmosphere packaging, affects the dynamics of biochemical changes during meat aging, as well as oxidative and microbiological processes in semi-finished meat products. Packaging into a modified atmosphere packaging allows controlling the color characteristics and shelf life, but its effect dramatically depends on the composition of the gas medium. A high concentration of oxygen in MAP provokes oxidative spoilage, while its absence stabilizes the color and slows down the degradation of meat proteins. An analysis of domestic and foreign scientific articles showed the high relevance of the meat aging problem for the manufacturers in this industry. The authors noted that in order to achieve high consumer properties of semi-finished meat products, it is necessary to make reasonable choice of aging ways and packaging methods taking into consideration the context of the active development of innovative technologies and new types of packaging materials.