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Packaging Films and Meat Color

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Packaging Films and Meat Color PACUGIMS FILMS AND iVIE:AT COLO3” DUAXZ 0. VESTdRBZRG UNION CARBIDE: CORPORATION The subject for this morning’s talk is listed as packaging films and meat color, I have taken the liberty to broaden the area to be discussed since it is very difficult to pick out one quality factor and relate it alone to packaging films, I would rather title the talk as packaging films and meat quality. It is true that the color of meat is a very important factor in the marketability of a meat item but probably less important than other factors which can affect the quality of a product being sold by a manufacturer to his customers. It is true that in many cases meat color can reflect how the meat product has been treated during the normal manufacturing process and in the distribution and handling of the product to the display case where it is finally sold. On the other hand, one only has to look in the meat display case of the local supermarket to see the number of sophisticated packages and packaging techniques which have been developed through the cooperation of film manufacturer, equipment manufacturer, and meat packer to protect the quality of the meat item to the consumer. I have divided ny talk into three general areas, I plan to first discuss the requirements placed on the packaging material by the type of meat product being packaged, specifically fresh retail meat cuts, processed meats, and primal and subprimal neat cuts. Secondly, I will discuss the procedures available to film manufacturers to build in required filn properties for packaging the various types of meat. Finally, I will talk about the various films which have been developed or adapted for use in packaging meats with their attributes and shortcomings and how they were overcome to make useful packaging films. It is important to remember that the purpose of the package used to market a product, be it meat or any other product, is to preserve the quality factors formulated into the product on manufacture until the product is delivered to the final user--the consumer. For the package to perform at the highest efficiency, some factors (table 1) have to be assumed regardless of the meat item being packaged. The meat product has to be of good quality on manufacture. If the product is a retail fresh neat cut, it should be fresh, tender, and pod tasting with low microbiological contamination. If it is a processed meat item such as weiners or bologna, it must be made from good quality meat ingredients and be processed correctly, The package can only protect the quality of product going into it, not * Presented at the 24th Annual Reciprocal Meat Conference of the American Meat Science Association, 1971, 361 create it. Secondly, adequate storage temperature control is required throughout the whole chain of distribution of the meat product to the consumer. LOW microbiological contamination, by using acceptable sanitary conditions on manufacture and packaging, also is necessary to prevent rapid microbiological spoilage. If these factors are net, the package can help in preserving the quality of the meat product for the consumer. All packaging raterials being used have to have the approval of the Food and Drug Administration for safe contact with meat products, If the meat plant is F'ederally inspected or by some state organiaatlon, the packaging materials also require approval by the USDA or possibly state organizations. What are the main factors which we wish to protect when narketing meat for retail use (table Z)? The important quality factors of retail neat cuts as they are rarketed at the present tine are to allow for red bloom color develoaent of the meat, prevent moisture loss, and prevent handling contanination. The housewife is the individual who purchases most retail neat cuts today and sets these requirements. The color of the meat is very frportant to her since she relates meat freshness and general quality to the presence of the bright cherry red color of normal meat bloom. Secondly, moisture loss *om the package has to be prevented since dehydration reduces neat quality, and if large losses occur, can also lead to problems with governmental Inspectors. Prevention of contamination on handling is necessazy to assure product quality since the retail cut is handled frequently during normal marketing procedures. What are the important requisites for fil. materials used to package retail meat cuts (table 3)? To allow for color developnent, the fPZI must be highly permeable to oxygen. The meat pigment, myoglobin, can react with oxygen in two manners (table 4). If high concentrations of oxygen are present, the myoglobin fonns omyoglobin, a complex with the oxygen molecule, which has the attractive, bright, cherry red color. However, if low concentrations of oxygen are present, oxidation of myoglobin is favored to forts the unattractive brown or gray color of netmyoglobin. The film must be highly permeable to oxygen so that an abundant supply of oxygen will be present at the meat surface to form the cherry red color expected by the housewife. Since the housewife believes it is necessary to see the meat product she is purchasing to satisfy her belief of quality, the packaging film must possess excellent optical properties to show the meat uut in an attractive manner. And last, but far from the least in importance, the film and package rust retain Integrity on handling because the housewife usually punches, pokes, and feels the product prior to purchasing and normally doesn't purchase the first package she exantnes. Therefore, when she returns the package to the display case it must still be an attractive package after this punching and poking so that the next housewife would be interested in purchasing it. What length of time are we talking about in display case shelf life? This can be from 1 to 2 days up to 4 or 3 days depending upon the temperature of the display case. The longer shelf lives are obtained at temperatares nearer the freezing point of meat, 27-~8~F. TABLE 1. FACTORS ASSUMED FOR PACKAGING MEAT PHODUCTS - ~~ 1, Quality product. 2. Adequate storage temperature controls. 3. low microbiological contamination. 4. Approved polymers and additives for meat contact. TABLE 2. FACTORS AFFECTING THE QUALITY OF FRESH RETAIL MEAT CUTS ~~ 1. Allow for red bloom development. 2. Prevent moisture loss. 3. Prevent handling contamination. TABLE 3. FILM REQUIRENENTS FOR PACKAGING FRESH RhTAIL MEAT CUTS 1. Permeable to oxygen. 2. Moisture barrier. 3. Possess excellent optical properties. 4. Retain integrity on handling. 363 TABLE 4. COLORED PIGMENTS OF MEAT PRODUCTS Myoglobin Oxymyoglobin (bright red) Metmyoglobln Nit Myoglobin roso- t (brown) Oxidation (Pink 1 364 A contrast in ,packaging requirements results when one talks about packaging processed meat items such as weiners, bologna, bacon, and hams, The packaging techniques developed for processed meats require some completely different properties. There are about four main factors related to quality which we are attempting to protect when packaging processed meats (table 5). Protection of these factors results in longer useful shelf life and a better product quality guarantee during marketing. These factors are prevention of microbiological spoilage, prevention of rancidity of fat, -prevention of loss of cured meat color, and dehydration of the meat product. Microbiological contamination will occur to some extent in any manufacturing process but using good quality meat trimmings for manufacture, good processing conditions and good sanitary practices throughout the processing and packaging areas will greatly aid in controlling microbiological spoilage. Rancidity of fat can easily occur in processed meats because of the high fat level present, Again, using good quality starting materials will help to keep rancidity to a minimum during manufacture and deter loss of product quality, The attractive pink color produced during the curing process with nitrite is also a desirable factor requiring protection, The packaging technique which has developed and grown over the past ten years or so depends on the elimination of oxygen in contact with the processed meats since most of the degradation processes mentioned require oxygen to occur, This has resulted in the development of the tremendous vacuum packaging procedure and gas flush techniques, What are the film requirements for use in vacuum packaging (table 6)? There are about eight factors required of a film to be used in vacuum and gas flushing procedures. The major factor is the film must be an excellent barrier to oxygen so that when oxygen is removed from around the product on packaging it, cannot reenter the package to degrade product quality. The presence of oxygen accompanied by poor product temperature control contributes to the growth of microorganisms on the product surface and interior. This affects product quality and rapidly shortens useful product shelf life. Most bacteria, yeasts and molds require the presence of oxygen to multiply; therefore, removal of oxygen diminishes the rate of growth considerably. Development of rancidity in fat and degradation of cured meat color in the presence of light also occurs at a more rapid rate when high concentrations of oxygen are present: again, the rate of development and degradation can be reduced considerably by removal of oxygen from the package, The requirement of oxygen barrier level to prevent color degradation varies from one processed meat product to another, Studies at our laboratory indicated that packaging sliced items such as bologna with interior product surfaces exposed requires fibs of much lower oxygen transmission rate than products such as frankfurters. F’ilols nith oxygen transmission rates less than 1 cc/lOO in2- 24 hrs. ATM were required to package sliced bologna while transmission rates of about 2.5 cc/IOO in2.
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