Application of Releasing Systems in Active Packaging of Meat Products

What is it about?

In the human diet, meat is an important source of protein, vitamin B12, omega-3 fatty acids and highly bioavailable iron. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, around 20% of the world’s meat production is lost or wasted, every year. In industrialized countries, especially in the United States and in European countries, these losses mainly occur at the end of the food supply chain, at the retail and consumer levels. The meat and meat products with lower shelf-life periods are usually fresh products with few or no additives at all. These products must be packaged with materials that could delay their natural degradation as much as possible. Active packaging, both releasing/emission and absorption types, are relatively new technologies that could provide longer shelf-life periods for meat and meat products. On the other hand, most of the meat derived products are highly processed, with high levels of synthetic and natural food additives which, according to latest research studies, may represent a concern for human health. Releasing active packages appear as a solution for both cases. In a releasing active package, an active compound with biological activity (e.g. antimicrobial, antioxidant) is incorporated in the package polymer and gradually migrates to the food’ surface where performs its action (e.g. inhibiting microorganisms or delaying the lipid oxidation). In this chapter, a consistent review on the application of releasing active systems to meat products will be carried out, comparing and discussing their main components, methods of production, properties and effectiveness.

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