91E-27 |
Use of carbon monoxide packaging for improving the shelf-life of pork |
T. R. KRAUSE, Animal Science, Iowa State University, 214 Meats Laboratory, Ames, IA 50010 and J. G. Sebranek. The bright red color associated with fresh meat is an important feature to consumers and retention of this attractive color is the most common determinant of retail shelf-life for meat cuts. Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) with carbon dioxide (CO2) has been shown to increase the shelf-life of fresh meat, but color is often less appealing. The use of carbon monoxide (CO) in MAP with high levels of CO2 has the potential to produce both stable bright red color and increased shelf-life of meat cuts. The objective of this research was to investigate the potential for low level CO combined with elevated CO2 in package atmospheres to extend shelf-life, improve color, and reduce purge of fresh pork and injected fresh pork. Eighty pork loins (40 injected, 40 uninjected) of normal inherent muscle quality were used to evaluate the color, microbial growth, rancidity, purge, and sensory quality of pork chops in four different packaging environments during storage. The four packaging treatments included: aerobic overwrap, high-barrier vacuum, MAP (20% CO2, 80% N2), and MAP-CO (0.5% CO, 70% CO2, 29.5% N2). All treatments were evaluated 3 times/week for 5 weeks during storage at 32-34°F. Hunter a* values (both injected and uninjected) were significantly (P< 0.01) higher in MAP-CO (11.25) than the aerobic (6.93), MAP (3.80), or the vacuum (2.74) packages. Sensory evaluations supported this as color values (100 point scale) were also higher in MAP-CO (85.91) than aerobic (62.47), MAP (42.42), and vacuum (44.52) packages. The rancidity (TBARS) was significantly (P< 0.01) reduced over the entire storage period by MAP-CO (0.118) as compared to the aerobic packages (0.365). However, MAP-CO did not significantly reduce microbial growth or purge loss. The results showed that carbon monoxide significantly improved color stability and sensory characteristics of pork in modified atmosphere packages during refrigerated storage.
Session 91E, Nonthermal Processing: Nonthermal processing of foods
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