Abstract
Visible liquid inside food packages is perceived as unattractive to consumers, and may result in food waste—a significant factor that can compromise sustainability in food value chains. However, an absorber with overdimensioned capacity may cause alterations in texture and a dryer product, which in turn may affect consumers’ satisfaction and repurchase. In this study we compared the effect of a number of liquid absorbent pads in combination with headspace gas composition (60% CO2/40% N2 and 75% O2/25% CO2) and gas-to-product volume ratio (g/p) on drip loss and quality of fresh chicken breast fillets. A significant increase in drip loss with an increasing number of liquid absorbent pads was documented. The increase was more pronounced in 60% CO2/40% N2 compared to 75% O2/25% CO2. By comparing packaging variants with a different number of liquid absorbent pads, a higher drip loss for all tested was found at g/p 1.8 compared to g/p 2.9. Total viable counts (TVC) were independent of whether there was free liquid in contact with the product, and TVC was independent of gas composition. Differentiation between the gas compositions was seen for specific bacterial analyses. While significant changes were observed using texture analysis, sensory evaluation of the chicken breast fillets did not show any negative effect in texture related attributes. This study demonstrates the importance of optimized control of meat drip loss, as product-adjusted liquid absorption may affect economy, food quality, and consumer satisfaction, as well as food waste.
Highlights
In light of the past several years’ focus on sustainability, and the global targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development goals [1] related to responsible production and consumption, the drive towards development of food systems for reducing food loss and food waste has been pronounced
A significant increase in drip loss with an increasing number of liquid absorbent pads was documented for chicken breast fillets
The percentage of dry matter content increased during storage; only minor effects of gas composition and the number of absorbent pads could be detected
Summary
In light of the past several years’ focus on sustainability, and the global targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development goals [1] related to responsible production and consumption, the drive towards development of food systems for reducing food loss and food waste has been pronounced. One of the main functions of packaging is to protect and preserve the food in the total value chain—from the producer to the consumer. Food packaging is recognized to contribute to food waste reduction and more sustainable food value chains [1,3,4,5]. Through evaluation of the environmental impact of meat products, measured as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions [6,7], it has been found that the packaging is only responsible for a small part of the GHG emissions [8]. Considering the small environmental footprint of the packaging compared to that of the meat products, it is clear that optimal packaging systems to avoid food loss in the value chain and food waste at consumers should be high priority, and will contribute to more sustainable food systems
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