Analysing the Impact of Processing and Preservation Techniques on Quality of Meat (Buffalo Meat, Chicken and Sheep/Goat Meat)

Abstract

Technical, microbiological, and nutritional characteristics of the completed product are frequently prioritized while choosing the technique for cooking beef. But when choosing a processing or preservation method, it\'s critical to consider more than just how the technology will impact the product\'s quality; instead, it\'s essential to adopt a holistic and global approach that takes into account changes to the product\'s sensory qualities, nutritional value, and consumer appeal. This category includes physical, chemical, and biological activities including fermentation, smoking, curing, marinating, and reformulation. Refrigeration is the sole method that will retain the beef product\'s intrinsic quality. But physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory quality changes need to happen gradually. Meat can potentially have a variety of impacts, such as a decrease in surface moisture due to drying, an increase in its ability to retain both moisture and fat, and an enhancement of the protein\'s functional properties due to the inclusion of additives. Learn how various processing techniques impact a meat sample\'s ability to be preserved, to be pathogen-free, to maintain its functional physiochemical quality, and to have a shelf life.

Introduction

India was projected to produce 8.6 million tons of meat in 2019–20, ranking sixth globally, with nearly equal production of red meat and poultry. Changing lifestyles may make traditional meat products obsolete. Meat undergoes physical and chemical changes during processing and preservation, affecting sensory properties such as texture, flavor, and appearance. Meat quality is subjective and varies with consumer needs, involving farmers, wholesalers, and retailers.

Preserving meat quality, especially beef, relies heavily on refrigeration to slow physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory changes. Studies show storage affects certain qualities like pH and weight loss but may not change others like color or composition significantly.

Meat Quality Properties:

• Yield, muscle-to-fat ratio, pH, and water-holding capacity (WHC) are critical for economic value, health concerns, and processing.

• Chemical composition influences juiciness, flavor, and appearance.

Meat Processing and Preservation Technologies:

1. Dry Aging: Meat matures under controlled temperature and humidity for weeks, enhancing flavor (umami, roasted notes) and texture but involves weight loss and risk of contamination.

2. Dry Curing: Removes moisture to extend shelf life, controlled via modern drying chambers. Changes muscle fiber structure and flavor.

3. High Pressure Processing (HPP): A non-thermal method that applies high pressure to extend shelf life and reduce microbes, altering protein structures slightly with minimal nutritional impact.

Study Objectives:

• To evaluate how processing and preservation affect meat quality.

• To assess chilled storage in maintaining beef’s natural quality.

Research Method:

• Different breeds of chickens and buffalo meat were tested.

• Proteolytic enzyme IVRIN (from Cucumis pubescens) was used to tenderize meat.

• Physicochemical (pH, WHC), sensory, and microbiological analyses were performed.

• Meat samples were refrigerated and frozen before processing.

• Statistical methods assessed significance of results.

Key Findings:

• IVRIN enzyme treatment lowered pH and WHC, indicating tenderization, especially in breast muscles.

• Muscle fiber diameter varied by breed and muscle type but was unaffected by enzyme treatment.

• Lipid content differences among breeds likely due to activity and diet; enzyme treatment did not significantly affect lipid levels.

• Cooking/incubation led to some lipid loss, especially phospholipids.

Conclusion

When compared to keema from young male buffalo groups, the product characteristics and overall acceptability of keema from spent buffalo groups were much higher. The microbiological load of keema prepared from processed buffalo meat was unpredictable and exhibited no association with the age or sex of the source animal. Keema was made from buffalo meat. After being stored in the refrigerator for a period of 18 days, the buffalo meat keema had reached an acceptable level of quality. If the buffalo meat is initially marinated in a PPE solution for 15 minutes before being stored in a refrigerator at a temperature lower than five degrees Celsius, the quality of the meat may be preserved for up to eight days. This method can also be utilized for the preservation of the quality of chicken and goat meat. In India, buffalo meat is the most widely consumed animal product and accounts for a significant portion of the country\'s total exports. By making use of the more male calves, India will be able to produce a significant amount of additional meat; however, this will only be possible if adequate nutrition and higher hygienic standards are maintained throughout the entirety of the production process. Even though nutritional treatment had no effect on the skin or dressed carcass bacterial burdens, rumen E. coli counts were much lower in the group that was supplemented with seaweed extract. This was the case despite the fact that there was no change in the rumen\'s pH or VFA concentrations. The two-step pathogen reduction approach may be easily implemented in very small plants with just little adjustments required to the existing hazard analysis key control points plans. It is possible for the butcher to reduce the biological dangers associated with goat corpses by incorporating a phase into the process that involves washing the skin of the carcasses. This phase incurs essentially no additional cost. It did not matter whether the enzyme preparation was given to normal combinations or mixtures with lower nutritional content; the results were the same: positive effects on gain and feed conversion were obtained. An analysis of the data acquired demonstrated that the advantages of enzyme preparation surpass the costs associated with their application, which paves the way for enzymes to be used extensively in production because of this finding. If the nation intends to make a substantial contribution to the growth of its livestock sector, considerable development efforts must be undertaken to optimize the use of buffaloes for the production of meat as the animal\'s primary output. Buffaloes are an important source of income for the country. This will ensure that the animal\'s resources are exploited to their full potential.

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Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Mithun Skandhakumar M , Dr. Prity Pant, Dr. Surbhi Sharma, Dr. Ashok Kumar, Dr. R C Mishra. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.