Packaging Technology For Fresh Meat

With the development of social economy and consumers' pursuit of quality of life, the relationship between meat packaging and people's daily life is becoming increasingly close. Meat packaging materials and packaging technology have broad market prospects. The research on meat packaging materials and packaging technology can not only enhance the added value of meat products, but also promote the progress of the entire meat industry.

Tray

Generally, refrigerated meat sold in supermarkets is usually served on polystyrene trays, with absorbent paper placed at the bottom of the tray to absorb the meat juice, making the meat particularly bright red and stimulating consumers' desire to purchase.

The commonly used transparent film materials are as follows:

Cellophane, coated with nitrocellulose on one side, can absorb moisture from the meat surface and become saturated when in contact with it, thereby promoting oxygen permeation to maintain excellent color and reduce weight loss. But if both sides of the glass paper are coated with nitrocellulose, it is not applicable.

Polyethylene, abbreviated as PE, can be divided into low-density PE, medium density PE, and high-density PE. It has high permeability to oxygen, especially low-density PE. In addition, it has good acid and alkali resistance, oil resistance, and water vapor permeability, making it very suitable for packaging fresh meat. The disadvantage of this material is poor tensile strength and wear resistance.

Vacuum Packing

Vacuum packaging refers to extracting all the air inside the packaging and using packaging materials with extremely low oxygen permeability to prevent external oxygen from penetrating, reducing the rate of oxidation and rancidity of fresh meat to ensure its freshness. After vacuum packaging, due to the blocking of oxygen, most meat products will appear dark red, which is detrimental to their appearance. If the cooled meat returns to a bright red color when exposed to oxygen after unpacking. Therefore, vacuum packaging is generally used in hotels and some large supermarkets that require long storage times and high quality.

The materials used in vacuum packaging include not only polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) with good oxygen permeability and shrinkage resistance, but also polyester, polyamide, nylon, polyester film, and polyethylene multilayer materials.
Among them, polyvinylidene chloride has the highest resistance to oxygen and water vapor transmission among various membrane materials, but its biggest disadvantage is its inability to withstand heat sealing. Polyester has strong tensile strength and softness; Nylon has good oxygen permeability, heat and cold resistance, and strong mechanical properties. However, it has a high water vapor permeability and is expensive, so it is used as a material for vacuum packaging of fresh meat in the form of multi-layer composite.

Modified Atmosphere Packaging
Modified atmosphere packaging, also known as inflatable packaging, is the process of extracting air from the packaging bag and then filling it with a certain proportion of nitrogen, carbon dioxide gas, and oxygen to minimize the possibility of oxygen infiltration, thereby inhibiting the growth and reproduction of microorganisms and extending the shelf life of the product. Cold fresh meat can maintain its color by using modified atmosphere packaging.

Vacuum Heat Shrink Packaging

The difference between vacuum heat shrink packaging and vacuum packaging mainly lies in the application scope of the product. Heat shrink packaging is mainly used for products that require moisture-proof coating. Vacuum packaging is mainly used for foods that require "inhibition of bacterial growth, avoidance of oxidation, mold growth, and spoilage". In principle, heat shrink packaging heats the shrink film to tightly adhere it to the product, which not only achieves moisture resistance but also makes the product more aesthetically pleasing.

Large pieces of meat can be packaged using vacuum heat shrink packaging. The advantage of this packaging form is that it can effectively reduce the rate of bag breakage and eliminate the phenomenon of juice leakage during vacuum packaging. The vacuum heat shrink treatment not only inhibits the proliferation of aerobic bacteria on the surface of cooled meat, but also prevents secondary pollution of cooled meat, effectively extending the shelf life. Compared with modified atmosphere packaging, it is convenient for transportation and has lower packaging costs.

The use of heat shrink packaging machine for packaging has the functions of sealing, moisture-proof, anti pollution, etc., and can protect the goods from external impacts. It has a certain degree of buffering, especially when packaging fragile items, it can prevent the vessels from scattering when they are broken.