Ionizing Irradiation of Chilled Meat Raw Materials as the World’s Leading Technology

Abstract

Market demand and consumer preferences are formed on the basis of decisions that are made by individual consumers in accordance with their desires, needs, and financial resources. Currently, one of the competitive advantages of Russian consumer market is a stable supply of high-quality chilled meat raw materials and meat products from chilled meat. Today, the needs of the RF (Russian Federation) population in pork and poultry meat are fully covered. The largest share in total production is taken by chilled products: beef (80.9%), pork (94.1%), and poultry (64.1%). In this regard, the improvement of traditional ways and the introduction of new ways to extend the shelf life (storage term) of chilled meat are urgent areas of scientific research. Along with the well-known methods of preventing the growth of microorganisms and the development of oxidative processes in meat, the processing of ionizing radiation of poultry meat, beef, lamb, and pork is officially authorized. On the territory of the Russian Federation, radiation treatment of meat (except for poultry meat, rabbit meat, and horse meat) has been allowed only since July 2017, but at the same time, rational dose of radiation for each type of meat has not yet been determined. Studies on the processing of cooled beef through ionizing radiation were conducted in order to determine the rational radiation doses. It is established that the exposition of chilled beef to ionizing radiation hampers the development of microbiological damage and does not adversely affect the organoleptic characteristics and nutritional value of meat raw materials. The processing of chilled meat raw materials allows to increase their shelf life by three or more times, which makes it possible to consider the exposition to ionizing radiation of meat as the world’s leading technology of preserving it. A rational dose of irradiation of chilled beef was determined depending on the fat content.