MEAT+POULTRY - January 2025 - 66

INGREDIENT ISSUES
and thoroughly cooked. It may be spared
from being food waste when used to make a
spicy chili, where the seasonings, tomatoes
and beans mask any off notes. On the other
hand, deli-style sliced turkey with a slimy layer
should get tossed in the trash.
" Spoiled foods will develop an off odor,
flavor or texture due to naturally occurring
spoilage bacteria, " according to USDA. " A
change in the color of meat or poultry is not an
indicator of spoilage. "
" To help to
extend the
shelf life of
meat and
poultry
products,
various
strategies can
be employed. "
- RON RATZ
INGREDIENTS TO ENSURE QUALITY
The big three sensorial forms of quality
degradation of meat and poultry products
are lipid oxidation, physical degradation
and undesirable color changes caused by
myoglobin oxidation.
Physical degradation is a function of
managing moisture. This is especially
challenging with frozen products, where
exposure to air during freezing can lead to
moisture loss and freezer burn. This affects
texture and flavor.
" Protein denaturation occurs during the
freezing and thawing processes, leading to
changes in texture and a loss of juiciness, " said
Darwin Ortiz Osorio, senior scientist of food
protection, North America, IFF, New Century,
Kan. " Freezer burn, caused by the sublimation
of ice from the surface of the meat, results
in dry, tough areas that degrade the overall
quality of the product. "
Managing moisture is all about locking in
natural juices, which include water and fat.
It also involves adding moisture to help with
flavor and texture.
There are two forms of oxidation that
impact quality. One impacts odor and taste.
The other is about color.
" The oxidation of myoglobin, the protein
responsible for the red color in meat, leads to
browning, " said Ortiz Osorio. " Although this
browning is often mistaken for spoilage, the
meat may still be safe to consume. However,
consumers typically associate brown meat with
being old or unsafe, which can lead to reduced
sales and increased waste. "
While myoglobin is the protein responsible
for color change in meat, pro-oxidants, such as
temperature, metals and light, may exacerbate
the situation. Antioxidants introduced upfront
retard the oxidation process.
Freezer burn
causes dry, tough
areas that degrade
the overall quality of
a meat or poultry
product.
" All meat is susceptible to color change
due to oxidation, " said Courtney Schwartz,
marketing director, Kemin Food Technologies,
Des Moines, Iowa. " From the moment the meat
leaves the processing facility, oxidation begins.
During this reaction, volatile compounds begin
to form. They begin to react with the meat,
causing the process to start all over again.
Eventually, this causes color change in the
meat as well as off-flavors and off-odors.
" To put it simply, consumers expect fresh
beef to be bright red, cured meat to be light
pink and ground poultry to be light or dark
pink, " said Schwartz. " Any variation from
these colors deters the consumer from buying
the product. Therefore, it is imperative for
manufacturers to prevent color loss in their
meat and poultry products in order to keep
consumers coming back for more. "
The other oxidation process occurs with
the fats and oils inherently present in the meat
and poultry, as well as in other components of
the products, such as breading and marinades.
Oxidation of fat is more prevalent in cooked
meats, as heat initiates the breakdown of
polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) present
in such products. These fatty acids 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 or
rancid. WOF has long been recognized as one
66 MEAT+POULTRY | 01.25 | www.meatpoultry.com
Brooke Becker - stock.adobe.com
http://www.meatpoultry.com
MEAT+POULTRY - January 2025

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