Improving thermal processing of meat

• Grant number: 14/24414-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: March 01, 2015
• End date: August 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Marco Antonio Trindade
• Grantee: Isabela Rodrigues dos Santos
• Supervisor: Gustavo V. Barbosa-Cánovas
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pirassununga , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Washington State University (WSU), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 13/07015-3 - Optimization of modified atmosphere packaging system for extending shelf-life of sheep meat under refrigeration, BP.MS

Abstract

Static retort is the current technology used in most sterilization processes, but due to the high temperature held for long duration during such processing, the quality of the food is decreased greatly. The use of agitation in retort processing could reduce processing times considerably, with the added benefit of improving the quality of the food, and offering important economical savings. Thus, the aim of this project is to evaluate microbial, sensorial and nutritional parameters of meat packaged in polymeric trays before and after retort processing in static and in different agitation modes (gentle-motion, Shaka, and rocking). Thermo-physical properties such as density, specific heat, thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity will be measured. Temperature profiles of meat product will be monitored throughout the process to locate the coldest spot within and to ensure the lethality of the process at this spot. Some characteristics such as texture and color will be evaluated via instrumentation techniques; meanwhile other characteristics such as taste, flavor or appearance will be assessed by untrained panelists using hedonic scales (but only after ensuring the microbial quality of the product). Nutritional studies will be performed to evaluate the possible degradation of some components (e.g. protein, vitamin content, starch) after thermal processing. (AU)