Shelf Life Assessments of Australian Chilled, Vacuum-Packed Veal Primals During Storage at -1°C and 6.7°C

Abstract

<p>Six types of boneless and two types of bone-in chilled, vacuum-packed veal primals were assessed for shelf life at two different storage temperatures: -1°C and 6.7°C. The shelf life at -1°C varied from 170-266 days for boneless primals, and from 139-239 days for bone-in primals. At 6.7°C, the shelf life varied from 44-63 days for boneless primals, and 41 and 42 days for bone-in primals. The total aerobic bacteria plate counts had rapid exponential growth for all primals at 6.7°C, but did not follow the expected growth pattern (exponential growth in the first several weeks to a stationary phase of 7-8log10 cfu/cm² ) when stored at -1°C. The shelf life for bone-in primals ended due to off-odour at both storage temperatures, while the shelf life for boneless primals ended due to excessive purge and discolouration at -1°C, with loss of vacuum also noted at 6.7°C. Some differences existed between primals for values of glycogen, shear force, pH, and cook loss, with the bone-in primals typically demonstrating the greatest change in parameter over time under vacuum storage when compared with the boneless primals. In this study, it has been demonstrated that there is a difference in shelf life between different types of chilled, vacuum-packed veal primals, with it being noted that all primals achieved the industry target of 90-120 days chilled shelf life when stored at -1°C. A range of interactions between potential factors affecting shelf-life were identified during this study. Further research is required to fully understand these interactions and their underlying mechanisms.</p>