Extending the storage life of raw chilled meats.

Preservative packagings for raw meats must both delay the deterioration of the appearance of the product and retard the onset of bacterial spoilage. Preserving the product appearance is largely a matter of slowing or preventing the formation of brown metmyoglobin at muscle surfaces. Browning is slowed in atmospheres which are rich in oxygen, and persistent browning is entirely prevented when meat is packaged under oxygen-depleted atmospheres. Bacterial spoilage is delayed by packaging under aerobic atmospheres rich in carbon dioxide, or by packaging under anaerobic conditions. However, the control of bacterial spoilage also requires that product temperatures be maintained close to the optimum for chilled storage, and attention to the hygienic condition of the product before it is packaged. Packaging techniques for conforming an extended storage life on most raw meats are available, and long term economic trends seem to require a general improvement of the storage life of raw meats. However, current commercial systems for distributing meat are largely geared to the handling of highly perishable product, and the potential economic advantages from trading in more stable product will not be fully realizable while such systems persist. Consequently, commercial progress towards greater storage stability for chilled meats is likely to be uneven and uncertain.