Importance of Extending the Shelf Life of the Meat

<p><strong>Abstract</strong></p>\n<p>The shelf life of the meat and the meat products is the storage time until spoilage, which is a complex condition in which the combination of biological and physicochemical activities may interact and make the product unacceptable for human consumption.</p>\n<p>Maximum acceptable microbial level and/or unacceptable off-odor and off-flavor identify the exact point of spoilage, which is strictly dependent on the initial numbers and types of contaminating microorganisms, their growth, lipid oxidation, and autolytic enzymatic reactions. The Meat and the fish, due to their physic-chemical characteristics, are excellent basic nutrients for microbial activity. Indeed the pH, aw (activity water), and high moisture values can support the growth of a wide variety of microorganisms.</p>\n<p><strong>Keywords:</strong> The shelf life, meat, meat products, lipid oxidation, autolytic enzymatic reactions.</p>