MEAT

PRODUCTS AND PRESERVATION

Meat
• defined as the skeletal muscles or “edible flesh” of livestock, poultry,
and game, including mainly muscle, fat, and connective tissues, but
also vascular, lymphatic, and nervous tissues, among others
• basically composed of water, protein, lipid, minerals, and trace
amounts of carbohydrates.
• Water as the major constituent, followed by proteins, but proportions
can vary largely depending on the amount of fattening: the content of
protein and water decrease as the amount of fat increases
Categories of Meat
livestock
• pork
• beef

poultry
• chicken
• turkey

game
• wild hog
• fox
 Meat Fermentation

• Low-energy, biological-acidulation (lactic acid production and aw

lowering) preservation method
• Results in unique, distinctive meat properties including flavor and
palatability, color, tenderness
• Use of “cultured” or “wild” microorganisms that lower Ph (LAB, yeast)
• Lactic acid coming from natural glycogen and glucose added account
to the antimicrobial properties
 Sausages

Anaerobic
Curing Drying Smoking
fermentation
 Curing of Meat

• Addition of nitrite and/or nitrate salt together with table salt to meat
• Dry-curing process – covering of meat cuts with a mixture of salt and
curing agents that penetrate slowly into the muscle tissue
• Wet-curing process – meat cuts are inserted into a brine of salt and
curing agents and/or brine is injected directly into the meat
• Fast-curing process – NaCl and curing agents are mixed or
comminuted with the meat in a bowl chopper
• Characteristic: pink/red color and a “cured” flavor
• Nitrite as antioxidant, antimicrobial
Ascorbate/acid

N-nitrosamines
Drying
• slows the action of enzymes, because it removes moisture so that the food
shrinks and becomes lighter; it removes enough moisture that bacteria,
yeasts, and molds can’t grow
• great weight and volume reduction leads to reduction of storage and
shipping costs
• Issues:
1. alters nutritional and sensorial qualities
2. sometimes a highly energy-intensive process
3. lack of selectivity in water-removal processes can produce an important
loss of aromas, especially when working at vacuum pressures
Dehydration
• Removal of moisture, with the primary objective of preserving the
food
• Use of controlled environment (RH, T, air velocity)
• Practically pertains to the use of drying equipment
Smoking
• Treatment with wood smoke has been practiced for centuries—
predominantly meats, poultry, and fish
• Usually includes salting and partial drying; may also be coupled with
heating, chilling and packaging
• Apart from preservation, it aims to prevent food poisoning and add a
desirable smoky flavor
• thermal decomposition of the woody material, followed by oxidation,
generates hundreds of solid, liquid, and gaseous compounds, differing in
boiling point, solubility, chemical properties, and the role they play in food
smoking; mainly H2O, CO, CO2, alcohols, carbonyl compounds, carboxylic
acids, esters, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and phenols
Smoking as a “hurdle” technology
• The preserving effect results from the consecutive or simultaneous
action of several of the following factors:
-thermal inactivation of the spoilage microflora, water activity, pH,
antibacterial activity of additives used prior to smoking,
-concentration of antimicrobial and antioxidant smoke components in
the product,
-barrier properties of the packing, and storage temperature.
Spicing
• use of spices is very frequent in the case of sausages and other
processed meat
• not only contributes to color and flavor development, but also
provides an antioxidant effect, and in some cases an inhibition of
microbial growth
Salting
• always present for meat processing
• NaCl plays many technological roles:
-provides a salty taste and flavor perception,
-allows the control of microbial growth and enzymatic activity,
-modifies the adherence and the water holding capacity of the protein
matrix
-In the case of sausages, NaCl is added during the mixing phase,
-for whole meat pieces, it can be added by means of dry or wet salting.
-pickling – dry salting without drainage
 LESSON
Preservation by 6
Low Temperature
POST MORTEM CHANGES OF MEAT AND
♣The use of lowMUSCLES
FISH temperatures to
(3preserve
HRS) foods is based
on the fact that the activities of food borne
microorganisms can be slowed at temperatures above
3.1. Post Mortem
freezing andChanges in Meat
generally stopped at subfreezing
temperatures
 The process of converting once living muscle to meat
a risethe
♣Withafter
begins soon in animal
temperature, therebled
has been is anand
increase
the in
oxygen reaction
in the muscles
rate. Theistemperature
rapidly exhausted
coefficient (Q10) may
be generally defined as follows (Jay, 2000):
 Impartial bleeding is a major defect that leads to
early meat spoilage
 LESSON 6
POST Principles
MORTEM of Low Temperature Preservation
CHANGES OF MEAT AND
FISH MUSCLES
 Lowering (3 HRS)
the temperature of foodstuffs (e.g.
freezing):
3.1. Post Mortem Changes in Meat
- reduces microbiological and biochemical
 The process
spoilageof by
converting
decreasingonce living muscle
microbial growthtorates
meat
begins soon
and after
by the animal
removing haswater
liquid been which
bled and the
then
oxygen in the muscles is rapidly exhausted
becomes unavailable to support microbial
growth
 Impartial bleeding is a major defect that leads to
early meat spoilage
- In general, the lower the temperature, the greater
the retardation and thus give a longer shelf-life of
the stored commodities
 LESSON 6
Types
POST of Low Temperature
MORTEM CHANGES Preservation
OF MEAT AND
FISH MUSCLES (3 HRS)
1. Cellar storage temperatures (about 15°C)

3.1. Post Mortem or

2. Refrigerator Changes in Meat (0°C to 5°C)
chilling temperature

3. Freezing temperatures (–18°C to –40°C).

 The process of converting once living muscle to meat
begins Cellar
soon storage
after the animal has been bled and the
(about 15ºC)
oxygen in the muscles is rapidly exhausted
usually not much below that of the outside air and is
seldom bleeding
 Impartial lower thanis15
aC
o
major defect that leads to
early meat spoilage
 not enough to prevent the action of many spoilage
organisms or of plant enzymes.

Root crops, potatoes, cabbage, apples, onions and

similar foods can be stored for limited periods
 LESSON 6
Refrigerated
POST MORTEM or chilling
CHANGES storage (0ºC
OF to 5ºC) AND
MEAT
FISH
obtained MUSCLES
and maintained (3 HRS)
by means of ice or mechanical
refrigeration.
3.1. Post Mortem Changes in Meat
 used to reduce the rate of biochemical and
 Themicrobiological
process of converting
changes and once living
hence muscle
extend toofmeat
shelf life
begins fresh
soonand
after the animal
processed foods has been bled and the
oxygen in the muscles is rapidly exhausted
Causes minimal changes to nutritional and sensory
properties of foods
 Impartial bleeding is a major defect that leads to
early meat spoilage
Besides temperature, the relative humidity and the
composition of the atmosphere can affect the
preservation of the food.
 LESSON 6
Categories
POST MORTEM of chilled foods
CHANGES OF MEAT AND
AccordingFISH MUSCLES
to storage temperature (3 HRS)
range (Fellows, 2000):

3.1. Post
♣ -1ºCMortem Changes
to 1ºC (fresh in Meat
fish, meats, sausages, smoked meat
and ground meat)
 The process
♣ 0ºC of converting
to 5ºC (pasteurized once
milk, living
canned muscle
meat, to meat
cream,
begins soon after
yoghurt, salad,the animal has baked
sandwiches, been bled
foods,and the and
soups
oxygen in the muscles is rapidly exhausted
sauces)

♣ 0ºC tobleeding
 Impartial 8ºC (soft fruits and fruit
is a major juices,that
defect cooked rice,
leads tohard
early cheese, and butter)
meat spoilage
CONTROLLED AND MODIFIED
ATMOSPHERE STORAGE
• Use of atmospheric compositions that is different from air
• Low O2 and CO2 levels inhibit aerobic microbial growth (vs 21%
and 0.03%) but may promote anaerobic bacterial growth (off-
flavor)
• Increased C02 or decreased 02 causes a reduced rate of tissue
respiration
• CA – generally refers to decreased O2 and increased CO2
concentrations, by a precise control of the gas composition.
• MA – used when the control of the storage atmosphere is not
closely controlled, e.g., plastic film packaging
• may supplement or totally replace cold storage
 Application of MAP in Fresh and
LESSON 6 Processed Meats
POST MORTEM CHANGES OF MEAT AND
FISH MUSCLES (3 HRS)
3.1. Post Mortem Changes in Meat

 The process of converting once living muscle to meat

begins soon after the animal has been bled and the
oxygen in the muscles is rapidly exhausted

 Impartial bleeding is a major defect that leads to

early meat spoilage Vacuum Removes most of the air
packaging before packaging

Replaced with another gas

Mixture of mixture before packaging
gases and sealing in barrier
materials
 Application of MAP in Poultry
LESSON 6 and Seafoods
POST MORTEM CHANGES OF MEAT AND
FISH MUSCLES (3 HRS)
3.1. Post Mortem Changes in Meat

 The process of converting once living muscle to meat

begins soon after the animal has been bled and the
oxygen in the muscles is rapidly exhausted
Poultry
 Impartial bleeding is a major defect that leads to
early meat spoilage

Seafoods
Recommended gas mixtures of MAP (Parry, 1993)

Product % Oxygen % Carbon % Nitrogen

dioxide
Red meat 60-85 15-40 -
Cooked/cured
meat - 20-35 65-80
Poultry - 25 75
*Fish white) 30 40 30
*Fish (oily) - 60 40
*Salmon 20 60 20
*lower myoglobin
content

§ Most packs are still constructed from four basic polymers:

 polyvinyl chloride (PVC),
polyethylene terephthalate (PET),
polypropylene (PP) and
polyethylene (PE)
Application of Controlled Storage in Fresh and Processed Meats

O2 CO2 release
Scavengers agents/srubbers
 The Safety of MAP Foods
LESSON 6
POST MORTEM
Clostridium CHANGES
botulinum OF MEAT AND
As a general rule, foods that are to be
FISH
subjected to MUSCLES
MAP should possess one (3 HRS)
or more of the following
antibotulinal hurdles:
3.1. Post Mortem Changes in Meat
• have a water activity (aw) <0.93
• haveofa converting
 The process pH of 4.6 or less
once living muscle to meat
begins soon• after
cured with
the NaCl
animalor NO2has been bled and the
oxygen in the muscles
• contain is rapidly
high levels exhausted
of non-pathogens (for raw meat,
poultry, and the like)
• maintained in frozen state
 Impartial bleeding is a major defect that leads to
• maintained
early meat spoilage at 400F or below

• have a definitive shelf life (e.g., not to exceed 10 days)

  Several investigators found that toxin
LESSON 6 detection and spoilage
coincided at 100C, while at 4°C spoilage preceded toxin
POST MORTEM CHANGES OF MEAT AND
detection.
FISH MUSCLES (3 HRS)
When raw beef was inoculated with types A and B spores and
3.1. Post
stored Mortem
for up to 15 Changes intoxin
days at 25°C, Meatwas first detected after 6
days, always accompanied by significant organoleptic changes.
 The process of converting once living muscle to meat
beginsListeria monocytogenes
soon after the animalThe hasfact
beenthatbled
this bacterium
and the can
oxygen in in
grow the
themuscles is rapidly
refrigerator exhausted
temperature range raises concerns
about its presence and potential for growth in MAP foods
 Impartial bleeding is a major defect that leads to
early ♣meat spoilage
On vacuum-packaged beef, this organism has been
shown that critical factors are storage temperature, pH,
and type of tissue, whether lean or fat. The organism grew
more extensively on fat than lean beef, and the
background biota had no effect on its growth.
 ♣The organism grew faster on sirloins
LESSON 6 with pH 6.0-6.1 than
those MORTEM
POST with pH 5.5-5.7.
CHANGES OF MEAT AND
FISH MUSCLES (3 HRS)
♣In a study of the effect of MAP and nisin on this organism
in cooked
3.1. Post pork tenderloins,
Mortem Changes 100%
in CO2 or 80% CO2 + 20% air
Meat
with 103 or 104 IU of nisin decreased the growth not only of
L. monocytogenes but also that of Pseudomonas fragi.
 The process of converting once living muscle to meat
begins soon after the animal has been bled and the
oxygen♣When pre-peeled
in the musclespotatoes inoculated with L.
wereexhausted
is rapidly
monocytogenes and vacuum packaged in high-barrier
bags, no growth occurred when stored at 4°C for 21 days
 Impartial bleeding is a major defect that leads to
early but at 15°C,
meat the organisms grew to 7 Iog10/g within 12 days.
spoilage
 Other [Link]
When cooked 6 bologna-type sausage
was vacuum
POST MORTEM the growth of Yersinia
packed,CHANGES OF MEAT enterocolitica
AND
and salmonellae was restricted but not that of
FISH MUSCLES (3 HRS)
Staphylococcus aureus. C. perfringens was also inhibited,
and growth
3.1. Post Morteminhibition was attributed
Changes in Meat to the normal biota.

The storage conditions consisted of vacuum packaging,

 The process
20% CO + of converting
80% N , 5% O + once
10% COliving
+ 85%muscle
N , and to
themeat
begins soon 2after the2 animal 2 has been
2 bled 2and the
background
oxygen biota apparently
in the muscles is rapidlyhad no effect on C. jejuni.
exhausted

 Impartial bleeding is a major defect that leads to

early meat spoilage