Technological Solutions to Increase Shelf Life of Fresh Meat Burger

Abstract

The present study examined the combined effect of dipping in sodium lactate solutions, as antimicrobial preservative, cochineal mixture, as natural color improver and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on meat burger shelf life. The work was divided into two subsequent experimental steps, the first one was aimed to select the optimal concentration of combined additives, whereas the last trial was aimed to test the best combination with MAP (MAP1, 30% O2 70% CO2 and MAP2, 70% O2 30% CO2). The shelf life was determined by the microbiological and sensory quality decay kinetics. Results indicated that the meat burger's shelf life could be extended using the two additives alone or combined with MAP2 until approximately 8 and 10 days, respectively. Practical Applications Meat burger is a very popular food commodity around the world and its consumption has increased over the last decades in many countries. Considering the fact that meat burger belongs to perishable foods, the main concern of industries is their shelf life extension. The results presented in this work indicate that the combination of sodium lactate and cochineal mixture with modified atmosphere packaging can satisfy this particular need and prolong the shelf life of meat burger. Considering that the proposed strategy is simple and relatively inexpensive, it could be very beneficial and of commercial importance to the meat industry.