Meat+Poultry - March 2018 - 59

Ready-to-eat meats
are often handled
multiple times during
the preparation of quickservice foods. Ingredient
technologies are available
to slow the growth of
spoilage bacteria, as well
as destroy pathogens.

acids (PUFA) present in such products. These fats are
highly susceptible to oxidation, which produces unwanted
flavor changes in the final product. This includes the
production of warmed-over flavor (WOF), which are odors
and flavors commonly described as stale, cardboard-like,
painty or rancid. WOF has long been recognized as one
of the primary causes of quality deterioration in cooked,
refrigerated and pre-cooked frozen meat products.
The most common solution is the addition of antioxidants,
which protect PUFA from oxidation by sacrificing themselves
to the oxidation process. Artificial preservatives such as
butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene
(BHT) and tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) function
as antioxidants and have long been the standard to ensure
an economically sensible shelf-life for fully cooked and
packaged meat products.

"In order to prevent foodborne
illness, meat and poultry production
processes should incorporate
different hurdles to reduce,
eliminate or control the growth of
pathogenic microorganisms."
- GREG JAHR
These ingredients are still widely used, but many
processors are exploring the growing number of more
label-friendly options, such as tocopherols, a class
of vitamin E with powerful antioxidative properties.
Tocopherols have long been used as a natural shelf-life
extender in many products and have application in raw
meat. Inclusion can be cleanly identified on ingredient
statements as vitamin E or mixed tocopherols, usually with
a parenthetical explanation of being added to maintain
freshness, so as not to be confused with inclusion for
fortification or nutrition profile enhancement.
There are also a number of plant-based extracts that
function as antioxidants. Many are identified simply as
"natural flavors" on ingredient statements. Rosemary and
green tea extracts, for example, may assist with conserving
the appearance, taste and quality of raw and cooked meat
products, both refrigerated and frozen. Carefully selected

plant breeds enable production
of the most potent extracts.
Suppliers blend the extracts into
the most effective combination for a
specific application and desired shelf life.
At the molecular level, rosemary extract and green tea
extract have similar functionality. Their active components
exhibit chain-breaking antioxidant activity. The main
difference is that green tea extract has a lower negative
flavor contribution to the final product. Thus, using a lower
level of rosemary extract in combination with green tea
extract allows the manufacturer to increase the natural plant
extract usage rate, often resulting in an extract blend that
performs better than using rosemary alone.
There are fruit-based extracts that exert antioxidative
function in meat and poultry. Acerola extract (cherry
powder), for example, boasts high levels of antioxidant
vitamin C. Select plum ingredients contain antioxidants
along with concentrated levels of organic acids that have
been shown to assist with reducing WOF.

STOPPING MICROBIAL GROWTH
In addition to retarding color and flavor changes, ingredient
technologies are available to slow the growth of spoilage
bacteria, as well as destroy pathogens.
"In order to prevent foodborne illness, meat and poultry
production processes should incorporate different hurdles
to reduce, eliminate or control the growth of pathogenic
microorganisms," says Greg Jahr, sales manager-meat
industry, Niacet Corp., Niagara Falls, New York. "Effective
intervention technologies include the use of antimicrobials
or preservatives."
Organic acids are well recognized for their ability to
control pathogen growth. Propionic acid is known to be the
most effective; while vinegar, a natural source of acetic acid,
is where a great deal of innovation is taking place. This is
because vinegar is an ingredient consumers understand and
don't view as a chemical preservative; thus, it is viewed as a
clean-label ingredient.
Niacet is a potassium-based powdered antimicrobial
supplier. With dried ingredients, processors are not paying
to ship water. Further, because the powders are highly
concentrated sources of active ingredients, usage levels are
often reduced to 0.5 percent batch weight. As free-flowing
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