The prospects of using active packaging elements in combination with gas- and vaporproof films for vacuum packaging and in a modified atmosphere in order to prolongation the shelf life of meat and meat-containing products are substantiated.
The efficiency of using active packaging elements during re-pasteurization of sausage products to improve microbiological stability and increase stability of fats in meat and meat-containing sausage products before spoilage was confirmed.
Microbiological, physicochemical and functional-technological characteristics of meat and non-meat raw materials, meat and meat-containing products in different storage conditions have been studied.
It was confirmed that the microbiological stability of raw materials, natural semi-finished products and pasteurized sausage products depends on some extent on the barrier properties of packaging materials and the ability to regulate the gas environment for packaged foods.
The basic conditions relating to safety and food shelf life prolongation with the up-to-date packaging methods and systems, the use of active packaging elements, preserving agents of natural and artificial origin have been analyzed.
Composition and distribution of layers in multi-layer polymer films of different structure, country of origin, which have different functional and barrier properties have been studied; the permeability coefficients of polymeric materials have been determined to predict their barrier performance in the multi-layer films.
A comparative analysis and systematization of the basic structures of polymer films for different groups of sausage products, meat and semi-finished products been performed, which allowed to determine the most appropriate structures of polymers for use in the pasteurization of sausage products.
Influence of storage conditions on physicochemical features and microbiological stability of meat raw materials has been determined. The possibility to prolongation the storage life of beef, veal, pork and lamb in the form of semi-finished chilled large up to 28 days and meat-and-bone up to 21 days subject to use of vacuum and termoshrink, has been scientifically substantiated and proved.
The ability was analyzed to store pasteurized boiled sausage products of the highest and first grade and confirmed the possibility of prolonging the shelf life of pasteurized cooked sausages of the highest grade during pasteurization using an oxygen absorbent sachet, which allows to ensure the microbial contamination values for sausages that correspond to the background values.
This proves the synergetic effect of re-pasteurization in the presence of oxygen absorbent.
Study of the effect of pasteurization on the amino acid composition in sausage products is not significant. Pasteurization does not reduce the biological value of sausage products, and fluctuations in the scores of essential amino acids before and after pasteurization did not exceed 1-3%.
Based on the conducted research, the following has been done for the first time:
the parameters of indicators of water activity, moisture content, acid and peroxide indices, amino acid composition of product proteins, their dependence on re-pasteurization of products have been determined;
the possibility of doubling the shelf life has been shown, and the process parameters of re-pasteurization using the active packaging elements in the production of boiled meat products have been substantiated;
the efficiency of using thermo-shrinkable packaging materials to pack large chilled semi-finished products has been proved;
on the basis of research and comparison of the composition and barrier characteristics of multi-layer polymer films of domestic and foreign production, the characteristics, which ensure effectiveness of their use in the production of boiled sausages with repeated pasteurization and extended shelf life, have been systematized and structured;
new data on efficiency of repeated thermal treatment modes for boiled sausages have been obtained and the optimal parameters of pasteurization have been determined.
The practical value of this dissertation in extension of the shelf life of chilled large semi-finished products, boiled pasteurized sausages without the use of preserving agents of natural or artificial origin, which allows to improve the sale logistics of this type of products, expand the sales geography and enable the producers to diversify their consumer markets significantly.
Recommendations for the choice of optimal parameters for repeated thermal treatment of boiled sausages, choice of multi-layer packaging materials according to the barrier characteristics for packaging of chilled large semi-finished products and boiled meat products have been developed.
Improved technology is of practical importance for the meat processing industry due to the rational use of raw meat, improved logistics and expanded range of long-storage products.
