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Vacuum skin packaging and its effect on selected properties of beef and pork meat

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Abstract

Physicochemical, instrumental and microbiological examinations of steaks of beef and pork (m. longissimus lumborum) in vacuum skin packaging (VSP), conventional vacuum packing (CVP) and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) were performed. Samples were stored at 2 ± 0.5 °C for 3 (pork) or 5 (beef) weeks. No statistically significant changes in pH values were recorded. Statistically significant (p < 0.001) changes in the thiobarbituric reactive substances content in modified atmosphere packed beef samples, and differences between samples in MAP and VSP or CVP were found from week 2 of the experiment onwards. The biggest changes in colour parameters were found in beef samples in MAP. The lowest and highest purge loss was recorded in samples in VSP and CVP, respectively. Vacuum packing enhanced the growth of lactic acid bacteria (LAB). At the end of the experiment, their numbers ranged from 4.31 log10 cfu g−1 (pork in CVP) to 5.14 log10 cfu g−1 (beef in VSP). LAB populations reached 2 log10 cfu g−1 in MAP beef and pork samples. On the other hand, MAP enabled the development of bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas and Brochothrix thermosphacta. The highest increase in coliform bacteria counts was recorded in vacuum-packed pork.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the project CEITEC—Central European Institute of Technology (CZ.105/1.1.00/02.0068) from European Regional Development Fund.

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None.

Compliance with Ethics Requirements

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Meat Hygiene and Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Palackého tř. 1/3, 61242, Brno, Czech Republic

    Josef Kameník, Alena Saláková, Zdeněk Pavlík & Gabriela Bořilová

  2. CEITEC VFU, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic

    Radka Hulanková & Iva Steinhauserová

Authors
  1. Josef Kameník
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  2. Alena Saláková
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  3. Zdeněk Pavlík
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  4. Gabriela Bořilová
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  5. Radka Hulanková
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  6. Iva Steinhauserová
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Correspondence to Josef Kameník.

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Kameník, J., Saláková, A., Pavlík, Z. et al. Vacuum skin packaging and its effect on selected properties of beef and pork meat. Eur Food Res Technol 239, 395–402 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-014-2233-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-014-2233-9

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