Abstract

Introduction. Meat-containing semi-finished minced products demonstrate a wide variety of properties, as they contain both plant and meat components. This heterogeneity makes it difficult to plan the freezing process. In view of the current environmental situation, packaging films used for cold storage should be biodegradable. The effect of low-temperature freezing and storage on biodegradable polymers remains understudied. The research objective was to find the optimal modes for minced-meat semi-finished products frozen in a biopolymer package. Study objects and methods. The study featured zrazy, or meat balls, with vegetable filling and a biopolymer film based on corn starch. It involved a laboratory combination freezing and storage cabinet and an XLW(M) tension tester to establish the physical properties of the film. Results and discussion. The meat-containing semi-finished minced products were vacuum-packaged in biopolymer material and subjected to convection, contact, and combined freezing. The experiments resulted in a new combined method of freezing for biopolymer-packaged semi-finished meat-containing products. The research also tested the strength properties of the CornBag biopolymer film during freezing and cold storage. The paper introduces a graphoanalytic method of calculation of freezing time. Conclusion. The new combined freezing method involved vacuum packaging, air-blast subfreezing, and further freezing on a refrigerated plate. The biopolymer film proved suitable for freezing and cold storage of food products. It keeps the product from drying, reduces vitamin losses, and preserves sensory properties. The optimal storage mode was –18°C, the maximum storage time – 6 months. The improved freezing technology combined freezing method with convective air-blasting and contact freezing on a refrigerated plate for products pre-packaging in a biopolymer vacuum bag. The optimal freezing parameters: temperature = –40°С, time = 85 min, rate = 1.33 cm/h.

Keywords

Meat, crystallization, meat drying, fat fraction, bacterial insemination, packaging, biopolymers, freezing, forcemeat

REFERENCES

1. Zeisel SH. Precision (personalized) nutrition: understanding metabolic heterogeneity. Annual Review of Food Science and Technology. 2020;11:71–92. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-food-032519-051736.
2. Wickramasinghe NN, Ravensdale J, Coorey R, Chandry SP, Dykes GA. The predominance of psychrotrophic pseudomonads on aerobically stored chilled red meat. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. 2019;18(5):1622–1635. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12483.
3. Pateiro M, Barba FJ, Domínguez R, Sant’Ana AS, Mousavi Khaneghah A, Gavahian M, et al. Essential oils as natural additives to prevent oxidation reactions in meat and meat products: A review. Food Research International. 2018;113:156–166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2018.07.014.
4. Ullah J, Takhar PS, Sablani SS. Effect of temperature fluctuations on ice-crystal growth in frozen potatoes during storage. LWT – Food Science and Technology. 2014;59(2):1186–1190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2014.06.018.
5. Vicent V, Ndoye F-T, Verboven P, Nicolaï B, Alvarez G. Effect of dynamic storage temperatures on the microstructure of frozen carrot imaged using X-ray micro-CT. Journal of Food Engineering. 2019;246:232–241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2018.11.015.
6. Ledlod S, Areekit S, Santiwatanakul S, Chansiri K. Colorimetric aptasensor for detecting Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, and Escherichia coli in meat samples. Food Science and Technology International. 2020;2(5):430–443. https://doi.org/10.1177/1082013219899593.
7. Dalvi-Isfahan M, Jha PK, Tavakoli J, Daraei-Garmakhany A, Xanthakis E, Le-Bail A. Review on identification, underlying mechanisms and evaluation of freezing damage. Journal of Food Engineering. 2019;255:50–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2019.03.011.
8. Hughes JM, Clarke FM, Purslow PP, Warner RD. Meat color is determined not only by chromatic heme pigments but also by the physical structure and achromatic light scattering properties of the muscle. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. 2020;19(1):44–63. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12509.
9. Papuc C, Goran GV, Predescu CN, Nicorescu V, Stefan G. Plant polyphenols as antioxidant and antibacterial agents for shelf-life extension of meat and meat products: classification, structures, sources, and action mechanisms. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. 2017;16(6):1243–1268. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12298.
10. Hu H, Zhang L, Lu L, Huang F, Chen W, Zhang C, et al. Effects of the combination of moderate electric field and highoxygen modified atmosphere packaging on pork meat quality during chill storage. Journal of Food Processing and Preservation. 2020;44(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/jfpp.14299.
11. Basavegowda N, Mandal TK, Baek K-H. Bimetallic and trimetallic nanoparticles for active food packaging applications: A review. Food and Bioprocess Technology. 2020;13(1):30–44. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-019-02370-3.
12. Dehghani S, Peighambardoust SH, Peighambardoust SJ, Hosseinic SV, Regensteind JM. Improved mechanical and antibacterial properties of active LDPE films prepared with combination of Ag, ZnO and CuO nanoparticles. Food Packaging and Shelf Life. 2019;22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fpsl.2019.100391.
13. López de Dicastillo C, Velásquez E, Rojas A, Guarda A, Galotto MJ. The use of nanoadditives within recycled polymers for food packaging: Properties, recyclability, and safety. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. 2020;19(4):1760–1776. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12575.
14. Kritchenkov AS, Egorov AR, Volkova OV, Zabodalova LA, Suchkova EP, Yagafarov NZ, et al. Active antibacterial food coatings based on blends of succinyl chitosan and triazole betaine chitosan derivatives. Food Packaging and Shelf Life. 2020;25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fpsl.2020.100534.
15. Randazzo W, Fabra MJ, Falcó I, López-Rubio A, Sánchez G. Polymers and biopolymers with antiviral activity: Potential applications for improving food safety. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. 2018;17(3):754–768. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12349.
16. Jeong S, Lee H-G, Cho CH, Yoo S. Characterization of multi-functional, biodegradable sodium metabisulfite-incorporated films based on polycarprolactone for active food packaging applications. Food Packaging and Shelf Life. 2020;25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fpsl.2020.100512.
17. Morais LDO, Macedo EV, Granjeiro JM, Delgado IF. Critical evaluation of migration studies of silver nanoparticles present in food packaging: a systematic review. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2020;60(18):3083–3102. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2019.1676699.
18. Cheng L, Sun D-W, Zhu Z, Zhang Z. Emerging techniques for assisting and accelerating food freezing processes: a review of recent research progresses. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2017;57(4):769–781. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2015.1004569.
19. Xu J-C, Zhang M, Mujumdar AS, Adhikari B. Recent developments in smart freezing technology applied to fresh foods. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2017;57(13):2835–2843. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2015.1074158.
20. Korotkiy IA, Korotkaya EV, Rasshchepkin AN, Sakhabutdinova GF. Improved freezing technology of minced meat products in biopolymer packaging material. ARPN Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences. 2020;15(21):2547–2554.
21. Papuc C, Goran GV, Predescu CN, Nicorescu V. Mechanisms of oxidative processes in meat and toxicity induced by postprandial degradation products: A review. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. 2017;16(1):96–123. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12241.
22. Santhi D, Kalaikannan A, Sureshkumar S. Factors influencing meat emulsion properties and product texture: A review. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2017;57(10):2021–2027. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2013.858027.