Biopreservation in Meat and Meat Products

Abstract

Meat and meat products are prone to spoilage caused by microbial growth and chemical deterioration, leading to nutrient losses and unpleasant odours and flavours. Traditional preservation techniques, including the use of additives and preservatives, are widely used to enhance safety and prolong shelf life, but consumers increasingly demand minimally processed products without synthetic additives. Biopreservation, which utilizes a protective microbiota such as lactic acid bacteria (LAB), is a promising approach to maintaining the microbiological quality and safety of meat-based products. LAB produce antibacterial metabolites and ribosomal-synthesized antimicrobial peptides, particularly bacteriocins, which have antimicrobial property against various pathogenic and deteriorating bacteria. Bacteriocins can extend shelf life and reduce the need for synthetic preservatives and can be incorporated into active packaging or added as starter or protective cultures for fermented meats. Another approach is phage therapy and predatory bacteria, which use virulent bacteriophages and predatory bacteria to target and eliminate harmful bacteria. However, large-scale applications of bacteriocins are limited due to their narrow antimicrobial spectrum and varying stability in different food matrices. Therefore, bacteriocins, combined with hurdle concepts such as active packaging, are often used to improve safety by reducing the effect of spoilage microorganisms and improving sensory characteristics such as flavour, texture, aroma, and shelf-life of meat products. This chapter discusses microbial composition of meat, biopreservation strategies and its application for enhancing safety and their shelf-life along with different regulatory frameworks related to it. © 2024 Enriqueta Garcia-Gutierrez, Natalia Gomez-Torres and Sara Arbulu.