Inhibition of Microbial Growth in Bovine Meats Surface by Combined Physical Agents and Natural Additives

FERNANDEZ BLANCO, M.; AMASINO, ANA J.; LAPORTE, G.; PENA, I.; DE LA SOTA, P.; OLIVERA, D; COLL CARDENAS, F.

Sustainable Innovation in Food Product Design. Food Engineering Series

Springer

Lugar: Cham; Año: 2021; p. 25 - 42

Fresh meat is one of the most perishable foods in trade. Many factors are influencing in beef shelf life such as water content, pH, availability of oxygen and food composition. To extend the period of refrigerated storage, which is the most common method used for preserving fresh meat and meat products, the application of the concept of barriers it is an interesting alternative to study. In this sense, combining different methods: irradiation with ultraviolet light, cooling temperatures, pH decrease, and the addition of natural additives such as essential oils and organic acids, are some of the technologies that can be considered to extend the microbiological shelf life. Thus, the objectives of this chapter are, first, to review some applications of these technologies in fresh beef to extend their shelf life and then present the results of the effect of the combined application of these technologies on the growth spoilage microorganisms in the beef surface. Although these technologies have shown good antimicrobial activity alone, their application in the food industry has been limited because each one individually presents some limitation, oxidation (UVC light), intense aroma (Eos), the use of these technologies would be more efficient if they are applied in combination to improve microbial stability and sensory quality.