Developing Novel Strategies for the Preservation of Meat and Meat Products

Abstract

The preservation of meat products is a compelling issue because most of these products are highly perishable due to microbial contamination.  Methods like freezing and the use of chemicals were good, but have drawbacks like preservation at very low temperatures, the use of chemicals is bad for the environment and people are sensitive to taking food that has chemicals added to it.  In this global review, the author discusses novel techniques for the preservation of meats, with emphasis on natural antimicrobials and delivery systems.  As a result, there is a transition to essential oils, bacteriocins, and organic acids which can be recognized as effective bio-preservatives with antimicrobial and antioxidant effects, which correspond to the modern trends to natural additives.  Methods of encapsulation and nanotechnology minimize these concerns and maximize the efficiency of these compounds in functioning within the horizontal structural matrix of food products.  Complementing each other, these technologies present a renewable solution to the practice that was earlier posing health and environmental impacts.  Nevertheless, there are some issues that scholars faced while implementing such models for large-scale, cost-effective tasks and regulatory compliance.  As such, this review systematically will analyze and discuss the mentioned mechanisms, applications, and challenges pertaining to these innovative approaches and serve as the basis for future works and practice.