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How you can do extending meat shelf- life?

Review | DOI: https://doi.org/10.31579/2690-8794/229

How you can do extending meat shelf- life?

  • Fahim A. Shaltout

Food Control, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Benha University, Egypt.

*Corresponding Author: Food Control, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Benha University, Egypt.

Citation: Fahim A. Shaltout, (2024), How you can do extending meat shelf- life?, Clinical Medical Reviews and Reports, 6(7); DOI:10.31579/2690-8794/229

Copyright: © 2024, Fahim A. Shaltout. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Received: 06 September 2024 | Accepted: 13 September 2024 | Published: 20 September 2024

Keywords: the shelf life; meat; meat products; lipid oxidation; autolytic enzymatic reactions

Abstract

The shelf life of the meat and the meat products is the storage time until spoilage, which is a complex condition in which the combination of biological and physico-chemical activities may interact and make the product unacceptable for the human consumption.

A maximum acceptable microbial level and/or unacceptable off-odor and off-flavor identify the exact point of spoilage, which is strictly dependent on the initial numbers and types of contaminating microorganisms, their growth, lipid oxidation, and autolytic enzymatic reactions. Meat and fish, due to their physico-chemical characteristics, are excellent basic nutrients for microbial activity. Indeed the pH, aw (activity water) and high moisture values can support the growth of a wide variety of microorganisms.

Introduction

Usually, the initial microbial count of the meat and the cooked meat products is about 23 log CFU/cm2 or g, and for fresh meat and meat and fish products about 45 log CFU/cm2 or g. The large variety of microbial species originate from the physiological status of the animal during the farming, the slaughtering, the harvesting, the fishing, the processing, the transportation, the preservation, and the storage conditions. The contamination also occurs after the heating process that is often used to prolong the shelf life either of meat or fish products. It is estimated that only 10% of the microorganisms initially present are psychrotolerant and may grow in cold-storage and that the fraction causing the spoilage is even lower [1-7]. During the storage, the temperature, the gaseous atmosphere, the pH, the NaCl, and the packaging are important factors affecting the selection, the growth rate, and the activity for certain bacteria. The initial mesophiiic bacterial count on the meat and the cooked meat products is about lo’-10’ cfu,/cm’ or gram, consisting of a large variety of species. Only 10% of the bacteria initially present are able to grow at refrigeration temperatures, and the fraction causing spoilage is even Iower. Since the meat products are heated to a temperature of 65-75”C, most vegetative cells are killed and post-heat treatment recontamination determines the shelf-life. The surface contamination of the cut meat and the meat products will determine the potential shelf-life. During the storage, the environmental factors such as the temperature, the gaseous atmosphere, the pH and the NaCl will select for certain bacteria, and affect their growth rate and activity. The shelf-life of the refrigerated meat and the meat products may vary from days up to several months. The bacteria able to grow and cause the spoilage during the storage of the meat, the cooked and the cured meat products [8-14].

Causes of the meat spoilage

can be caused by physical, chemical and biological agents, including the microorganisms-bacteria, yeast and mold, the action of enzymes in meat such as lipases and proteases,  the chemical reactions in the foods such as the browning and the oxidation, the physical changes introduced by the freezing, the drying, and the application of the pressure . Although several agents are implicated in the meat spoilage, the microorganisms are the most common cause of the quality deterioration in the foods of animal origin. The spoilage organisms break down fat, carbohydrate, and protein in the meat resulting in the development of off-flavors, slime formation, and discoloration, thereby rendering the meat disagreeable for consumption.  It is estimated that microbial spoilage is responsible for 25% of the postharvest food loss globally [15-21].

The Meat

The Environmental influence on the bacterial growth and the shelf-life.

The Growth to high numbers is a prerequisite for the spoilage. The expected shelf-life and growth ability of different bacteria under various environmental conditions. The Microbiome of the spoiled meat, The Microbial spoilage can be defined as the biochemical changes in meat brought about by dominant microorganisms that make up a significantly higher proportion of the microbial community associated with meat. The overall composition of the spoilage microflora is diverse and primarily determined by the environment in which the animals are raised, and the postharvest and processing environment of meat. These spoilage organisms are conventionally grouped as the Gram-negative rods, the Grampositive spore formers, the lactic acid bacteria (LAB), the other Gram-positive bacteria, the yeast, and the molds. The meat products are not commonly degraded by the  yeast due to their inability to produce extracellular proteases. Some exceptions to this include Yarrowia lipolytica, Rhodoturola, Cryptococcus, Pichia, and Saccharomyces in the fresh and the refrigerated meat and the poultry. Similarly, the mold found on the meat that could play a role in the spoilage includes Alternaria, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Rhizopus, and Cladosporium [22-28].

The Micro flora of the fresh meat

The muscle tissue in healthy living animals is essentially sterile.  Thus the initial microbial load and composition of the fresh meat are primarily influenced by the physiological status of the animal at the time of slaughter, the spread of microbes during slaughter and the slaughterhouse environment. Following sacrifice, the main contamination of the meat occurs when the carcass is opened and the offals are removed. For instance, bacteria from the intestines, lymph nodes, skin, hide, handlers, cutting knives, and the processing facility can potentially contaminate the meat.  These microorganisms acquired by the meat can be termed as the slaughterhouse microbiome, which is a combination of the microbial population in the facility and the animal’s gut. Toward this, Mills and coworkers demonstrated that Carnobacterium spp. identified on lamb carcasses were traced back to the meat processing environment. Spoilage bacteria and the meat quality. Further, investigations of microbial prevalence revealed that the core microbiota at the slaughterhouse consisted of Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., Brocothrix spp., Psychrobacter spp., Acinetobacter spp., and LAB. On the other hand, Proteobacteria especially Pseudomonas spp. and members of Enterobacteriaceae were found to dominate the carcass microflora [29-35].

The Packaging

Three different packaging types are in use: air, vacuum and modified atmospheres (MA).  MA contains different levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide, balanced with inert nitrogen.  The Packages containing up to 80% oxygen and 20

The Factors affecting microbial meat spoilage

The Spoilage of the meat is principally caused by the growth and degradation of the nutrients in the product by a diverse group of microorganisms. The composition of this micro flora is dependent on the product itself and the processing and storage conditions. In general, the factors that influence microbial proliferation on meat are grouped into three categories. The Intrinsic parameters, These include the physical and chemical composition of the substrate, water activity, pH, nutrient availability, initial microflora and presence of natural antimicrobial substances. The Extrinsic parameters, The storage and handling environment specifically temperature, humidity, and atmosphere condition (aerobic, anaerobic, and MAP). The Implicit parameters, These constitute the synergistic and antagonistic effects of the factors mentioned above on the development and establishment of the spoilage microflora. The Intrinsic factors, The Meat composition and antimicrobial hurdles Like higher animals, microorganisms also require energy for their growth and survival, essential nutrients and components for the constitution of cells. They acquire these molecules from their substrate or surrounding food environment.  In this regard, meat and muscle foods, in general, are rich in proteins, lipids, minerals, and vitamins, but poor sources of carbohydrates. This nutrient composition and availability select for the growth and survival of certain groups of microbes (initial microflora) over the others. Further, the initial break down of these macromolecules to simpler molecules paves the way for microbial succession by organisms that in turn feed on these metabolites. Beyond nutrient availability, the presence of growth factors, natural and added inhibitors select for specific strains. These antimicrobial hurdles include food additives, preservatives, natural antimicrobials, and bioprotective cultures that are incorporated in food to improve shelf life and promote food safety [134-139]. 

The meat pH Postmortem pH of meat is determined by the amount of lactic acid produced from glycogen during anaerobic glycolysis, and is an essential determinant for the growth of spoilage microbes. After slaughter, muscle pH reduces typically to 5.4 \5.8, which can inhibit spoilage microbes to a certain extent.  The Meat from stressed animals produces a pH greater than or equal to 6.0 (dark, firm, and dry meat), and this makes it an ideal environment for microbes to multiply, eventually resulting in spoilage. The presence of lipid (adipose tissue) 320 Chapter 17 and high pH favor rapid bacterial proliferation, utilization of nutrients, and eventual spoilage of the meat. The Water activity High, The moisture content and low solute concentrations tend to provide a favorable environment for microbial growth on meat.  The Water activity (aW) of a solution is defined as the ratio of its vapor pressure to that of pure water at the same temperature, and it is inversely proportional to the number of solute molecules present.  The Spoilage molds and yeast are more tolerant to higher osmotic pressures than bacteria. The Bacteria tend to grow at a aW ranging from 0.75 to 1.0, whereas yeast and molds grow slowly at an aW of 0.62. Dried products (aW of less than 0.85), which are stored and distributed at ambient temperatures do not support growth and toxin production bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium botulinum. The microbe population in curing salt solutions such as bacon brines has a shift in population toward osmotolerant and halotolerant organisms. For instance, certain Lactobacillus spp. can tolerate high sugar concentration generally used in ham-curing brine. They are capable of growing on cured unprocessed hams and produce polysaccharides with associated deterioration in flavor and appearance. The Extrinsic factors, The Temperature is a major factor that controls bacterial growth. An understanding of time and temperature management to control spoilage microbes is essential to improve the shelf life of a product. Based on the survivability of microbes at different temperatures, they can be classified as psychrotrophs, mesophiles, and thermophiles, whose tolerability includes the following temperature ranges: 2C 7C, 10C 40C, and 43C, v66C, respectively. The Aerobic spoilage microflora at chilling temperatures consists predominantly of the pseudomonads, while the LAB are the primary organisms of concern under anaerobic conditions or MAP. The nutrient content at certain storage temperatures in meat is another factor that influences microbial growth. An inverse relation has been observed with temperature and amino acid utilization by Lactobacillus arabinosus, wherein the bacterium requires phenylalanine, tyrosine, and aspartate for growth at 39C, phenylalanine and tyrosine at 37C, and none of these amino acids at 26C. Also, a high microbial load before freezing can contribute to the persistence of microbial enzymes such as lipases even at freezing temperatures. Although the microbial growth process is arrested by freezing, microbial enzymes may continue to produce deleterious changes in meat quality even at temperatures as low as 30C. The Packaging and the gaseous atmosphere, The gaseous atmosphere within a packed meat product has a significant impact on the spoilage microbiome.  The Pseudomonas spp., Acinetobacter spp. and Moraxella spp. are predominant bacterial genera involved in aerobically stored meat products within a temperature range of 1C to 25C. Specifically, P. fluorescens, P. fragi, P. ludensis, and P. putida are the significant species commonly isolated from aerobically packaged meat. In the vacuum-packed and MAP meat, there is a shift from aerobic bacteria to the overgrowth and prevalence of facultative and strict anaerobic spoilage microbes. Shewanella spp., Brochothrix spp. (B. thermosphacta and B. campestris), Serratia spp., and LAB are the major groups involved in spoilage of vacuum and/or MAP meat products. S. putrefaciens is a predominant spoilage bacterium found in chilled and vacuum-packaged meat. Reduced water activity along with microaerophilic conditions inhibits gramnegative spoilage microbes and favors the growth and establishment of the LAB. The Implicit factors, The Implicit factors influencing spoilage develop as a result of microbial succession that occurs in meat through the production continuum. The factors previously described can either have a synergistic or antagonistic effect on strain selection and eventual composition of the spoilage microflora. Synergistic effects include the breakdown of macromolecules in meat by the initial microflora, thereby providing easily accessible nutrients for a subsequent group of microorganisms that would otherwise be unable to sustain themselves in the food environment. Similarly, changes in acidity or buffering capacity of meat and water activity help select for strains that are tolerant to the altered conditions thereby establishing the secondary spoilage microflora on meat.  While these conditions may serve to support a certain group of organisms, they are antagonistic to other species that are sensitive to this food environment [12-19].

Conclusion

The microorganisms play in the spoilage of meat and meat products, it is critical to develop effective and feasible approaches to prevent and curtail the growth of spoilage microorganisms. However, in order to develop practical antimicrobial hurdles, it is important to identify, characterize, and understand the predisposing factors in a food system that promote bacterial growth and spoilage. Furthermore, the elucidation of the microbial signature associated with different foods, and various handling and storage conditions will help to develop intervention strategies that are product specific and can be applied along the food production continuum.

References

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