Optimizing colour quality of modified atmosphere packed sliced meat products by control of critical packaging parameters.

To study the influence of different packaging and storage parameters on the colour stability of modified atmosphere packed, cured, cooked ham, a multiplicative analysis of variance model (GEMANOVA) was developed. The critical parameters investigated were % residual-O(2), product to headspace volume ratio (P/H volume ratio), temperature, light intensity and oxygen transmission rate (OTR). The model illustrated that all the investigated parameters interacted, but especially % residual-O(2) and P/H volume ratio - i.e., the absolute O(2) content, influenced the degree of discoloration. The complex interactions of the parameters justified the selected model, as it emphasised the necessity of evaluating the parameters simultaneously instead of considering them individually. The importance of absolute O(2) content was further validated through an industrial experiment including three different kinds of sliced meat products.