SPOILAGE, FACTORS AFFECTING | Oxidative and Enzymatic

Abstract

Spoilage of meat occurs when there is deterioration of its odor, flavor, color, texture, and/or nutritive value due to oxidative and enzymatic processes. Oxidation, or the process of loss of electrons, hydrogen abstraction, or flow of unpaired electrons, may occur in all the chemical constituents of muscle foods, including lipids, muscle pigments, structural proteins, and enzymes. Because of these deleterious changes associated with oxidation and enzymatic breakdown, much of the applied research in the meat industry is directed toward slowing the rate of spoilage through controlling oxidative reactions.