Optimization of modified atmosphere packaging system for extending shelf-life of sheep meat under refrigeration

Abstract

The consumer market for sheep meat in Brazil is growing together with the new profile of consumers who search for food of higher quality and healthier. This raises the need for improvement of techniques aimed at preserving microbiological this food, without prejudice to their physicochemical and organoleptic characteristics. One solution is to use modified atmosphere packaging, which create an environment microbiologically safe and can be adjusted to facilitate the retention of certain desirable characteristics, such as the ideal color of meat. This research aims to optimize the concentration of gases inside the package in order to achieve such aspects. For it, loins of animals of the same breed, age, weight and production site, will be acquired and individually wrapped in packs with varying concentrations of CO2, O2 and N2, and stored under refrigeration (-1 to +1 ° C). Then, at intervals of 7 days, the following analyzes will be made for monitoring the study: lipid oxidation, color lens, physicochemical analysis (protein, fat, moisture, ash and pH), water loss by cooking and shear force, microbiological and sensory analysis. For characterization of the package will be evaluated weight and thickness, tightness and gas composition. The obtained data will be processed through the SAS statistical program (Statistic Analisy System), version 8.02, by ANOVA and Tukey's test at 5%. The experimental responses obtained will undergo adjustments linear regression models to check the trend of products in packaging systems, complementing the analysis with charts and / or graphs. (AU)