Ingeniero

MEAT PACKAGING

I.

INTRODUCTION A. History 1. 2. Up to the early 1960’s - carcasses fabricated into primals or subprimals and packaged in bags or paper. Late 1960’s to the present - carcassesfabricated into primals or subprimals and placed in vacuum packaged bags; also the advent of modified atmosphere packaging. The 1980’s - the introduction of vacuum packaged or modified atmospherepackaged retail cuts. Where were we headed? Pre-cooked in the 1980’s and in the future.

3. 4. B.

Advances in material technology 1. Advances in multi-layer lamination and co-extrusion technology cannow provide an infinite number of new materials engineered to meet the specific packaging requirements of any product. Result - the above-average growth of flexible packaging materials in recent yearsand the trend has been predicted to continue into the f foreseeable future.

2.

C.

Packaging and shelf-life 1. Most important role of packaging materials is that packaging materials provideprotection to foods against harmful environmental factors. Mainly through protection from natural and man-made elements that increase deterioration. a. Food deteriorates by three mechanismsindependently or in concert: 1. 2. 3. Physical. Biochemical. Microbiological.

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b. c.

One of the three mechanisms terminates the useful shelf-life of a product before the other mechanisms become aconcern. Critical to quantify the rate of change of the most critical vector of quality loss and the variables that affect quality loss. Then packaging material specifications are set to minimize theeffect.

II.

PROPERTIES OF PACKAGING MATERIALS A. Choice of packaging materials is a combination of the: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. B. Transport properties. Product shelf-life. Cost. Packaging system abuseresistance. Others - product dependent.

Barrier properties versus Permeability. 1. Barrier property is a measure of the resistance offered to a permeant in meat, usually oxygen. The permeant is often...