Meat Science

Preservation of Meat

PRINCIPLES OF PRESERVATION OF MEAT

• Preservation of food has been practised since time immemorial and was originally adopted by mankind to maintain a continuous supply of food throughout a year.
• Mankind began to preserve food in times of plenty, to tide over scarcity of food.
• The primary purpose of food preservation is to prevent food spoilage. The primary cause of spoilage is the action of micro-organisms such as bacteria, moulds or yeasts, aided by enzymes.
• Micro-organisms can survive and develop only under particular micro-environments; they die or fail to multiply under unfavourable conditions.
•  The preservation of red meat, poultry and their products is accomplished by ensuring that their immediate micro-environment is unfavourable  for the growth of spoilage organisms    (bacteria, yeasts, moulds and parasites), and also by controlling the action of autolytic enzymes and preventing the chemical oxidation of lipids, which leads to rancidity.
• Preservation of meat was initiated by drying meat either in the sun or by fire.
• Most of the processed meats available today originated from techniques that were developed to extend the length of time between the slaughter of the animal and the consumption of the meat derived from the animals.