Worthing, UK – 12th December 2011. Seward, the manufacturer and developer of the patented Stomacher® Paddle Blender range, today highlighted a seasonal application for this world leading sample preparation range concerning the assessment of reindeer meat quality1. This is in addition to a broad array of familiar applications in preparing the best festive food samples for analysis and protecting the reputation of food processors, as well as consumer health. During the festive season, the company unsurprisingly sees a ramping up of activity in global customer demand as the food industry gears up for seasonal celebrations, from poultry processors and confectioners to fig and date packagers.
Less well known are the many applications of the Stomacher 400 Circulator machines in the food chain between producer and processor. Such an application carried out at the Swedish University of Agricultural Science Department of Food Hygiene1 looked at the impact of transportation times to slaughter on the quality of reindeer meat. The Stomacher was used to look at the impact on the growth of spoilage microorganisms within the carcasses of three different reindeer study groups.
The findings showed that a 1 log increase in bacterial count was detected in reindeer that had to travel the furthest in terms of transportation time prior to slaughter. This is linked to the biochemical changes induced by stress that change the pH of the meat prior to slaughter, allowing spoilage organisms to grow faster.
Related studies are currently underway in many parts of the world on the impact of stress on meat quality, one manifestation of which will be spoilage and shelf life. For example, the Lacombe Research Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Ontario, Canada this year is investigating the development of an in-line procedure to detect stress in pigs arriving at the slaughterhouse. This will have an impact on the quality of meat produced and support a valuable industry.
The Stomacher 400 is widely used for the preparation of fully homogenised samples in meat testing. In real unspiked samples the machine ensures maximum recovery, even where there is surface adhesion, allowing the proper analysis of data.
For further information on Seward’s Stomacher® range and other sample preparation products, please visit: www.seward.co.uk.
Reference:
1) Ultimate pH values and bacteriological condition of meat and stress metabolites in blood of transported reindeer bulls. E. Wiklund, C. Rehbinder, G. Malmfors, I. Hansson, M-L Danielsson-Tham. Rangifer 21 (1), 3-12, 2001
About Seward Limited - www.seward.co.uk
Seward manufactures the world leading range of Stomacher® paddle blenders and Stomacher® accessories used in sample preparation for microbiological analyses. The company has been manufacturing and developing the world renown and patented Stomacher® Lab Blender for 40 years. The original and still regarded as the best, over 8 million food samples a day are prepared on Stomacher® 400 paddle blender units around the world.
In addition to sample preparation for food safety analyses, within the bioscience market the new developments of the Stomacher® 80 and micro 80 are proving invaluable for safe and efficient sample processing. The Stomacher® 3500 has established itself as the instrument of choice for preparing samples for the new pathogen test protocols requiring jumbo size samples.
The company is based in Worthing, West Sussex, UK with subsidiaries in Long Island, N.Y., USA and Singapore. All Seward machine products are manufactured within the UK and 1 of its 3 worldwide Stomacher® bag manufacturing operations is also UK-based. This ensures control of quality and price to deliver excellent value to global trading partners and laboratory customers.
Seward Limited continues to develop the product range, now with 3 patents to its credit. Stomacher® is the most highly referenced brand name in food safety and life science sample preparation in scientific publications. The company also assists customers with method development through reference searches and sample evaluations within its own development laboratory.
The original and still the best. The Stomacher® - a Seward product trade name.
Seward contact details:
Europe and ROW: +44 (0) 1903 823077; info@seward.co.uk
US & Canada: +1 631 750 5660; info@sewardusa.com
Asia, Pacific and Middle East: +65 67447811; info@sewardinternational.com
