The document discusses the importance of cold chain management for maintaining the safety and suitability of fresh meat products during international trade, emphasizing the definition of fresh meat and factors affecting shelf-life such as temperature and monitoring. It highlights various case studies and consumer perceptions while detailing how improper temperature management can lead to spoilage and safety issues. Additionally, it covers insights into the shelf-life of different meat types and innovative technology for real-time temperature monitoring in the supply chain.

1. Maintaining the safety and
suitability of perishable
products: cold chain for meat
Ian Jenson
Meat & Livestock Australia

2. Outline
• Fresh meat definition
• International trade in fresh meat
• Safety and suitability - shelf-life
• Factors that define shelf-life – temperature
• Example: Consumer perceptions
• Temperature monitoring
• Example: Safety of product in road transport
• Example: Temperature and shelf-life
• Example: Quality of frozen product
• Conclusions

3. Meat and meat products
• Nature of product
– Species
– Carcase / carcase
parts
– Aerobic/ vacuum
pack

4. Zhang - ICoMST 2010
Definition of fresh meat
• ‘Meat that has not undergone any preserving process other than
chilling, freezing or quick freezing’ – EU Sanitation and Hygiene
Rules
• ‘fresh meat’ -- meat that, at commencement of its intended use, is
equivalent to an uncooked, raw product in terms of appearance
and functionality

5. International meat trade

6. Australian beef and veal exports
Source: DAFF,MLA f orecasts
95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13f14f15f16f17f
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
'000 tonnes swt
f = f orecasts
Record 963,000 tonnes swt in 2012

7. Beef exports to major destinations
Source: DAFF, MLA f orecasts
Japan US Korea other
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
'000 tonnes swt
2001 2011 2012f 2013f
f = f orecasts

8. Australian lamb exports
Source: ABS, MLA forecasts
95 97 99 01 03 05 07 09 11 13f 15f 17f
0
50
100
150
200
250
'000 tonnes cwt
f = forecast

9. Lamb exports to major
destinations
Source: DAFF, MLA forecasts
Middle East US Greater China other
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
'000 tonnes swt
2001 2011 2012 2013f
f = forecasts

10. Global Lamb Exports
2. USA 36,667 swt
10. Qatar 5,933 swt
8. Japan 7,687 swt
1. Australia 221,000 cwt
(50% of total production)
3. China 29,521 swt
4. UAE 13,205 swt
7. UK 9,016 swt
6. Jordan 12,959 swt
9. Iran 7,271 swt
5. PNG 13,101 swt
Where does Australian lamb go?
50% or 189,000 tonnes swt of Australian lamb production was
exported in 2012…

11. Transport

12. Shelf life of fresh meat - definition
• The time it takes for the meat to become no longer
acceptable to the consumer
• Based on unacceptable:
– colour (browning of meat, greying of fat)
– flavour and aroma (rancid, acid, sulfur, etc)
– texture (loss of structure - soft)
– Moisture and nutrient content (surface drying)
Zhang - ICoMST 2010

13. Safety and Suitability
SAFETY
• Apply all food safety
requirements appropriate
to its intended end-use
• Meets criteria for specified
hazards
• Does not contain hazards
at levels that are harmful
SUITABILITY
• Produced under hygienic
conditions
• Appropriate to its intended
use
• Meets parameters for
diseases or defects
Codex Alimentarius - Code of Practice for Meat

14. If stored under acceptable conditions
meat will remain safe after packing and
chilling
• Most foodborne pathogens do not grow at refrigeration
temperatures
• Safe ‘for its intended use’
• Cooking

15. How long can fresh meat be stored
before it becomes unsuitable?
Zhang - ICoMST 2010

16. Overview of fresh meat storage
Storage life (days)
0 100 200 300 400 500
Storagetemperature
-55C
-18C
-2 to -3C
-0.5C
1 to 4C
5 to 10C
20 to 30C < 1 d
< 3 d
< 7 d
< 28 d
12 months
Indefinite ?
Chilled
Frozen
Zhang - ICoMST 2010

17. Overview of fresh meat storage
Storage life (days)
0 100 200 300 400 500
Storagetemperature
-55C
-18C
-2 to -3C
-0.5C
1 to 4C
5 to 10C
20 to 30C < 1 d
< 3 d
< 7 d
< 28 d
12 months
Indefinite ?
Chilled
Frozen
> 140 d
Vacuum packed
Zhang - ICoMST 2010

18. Vacuum packing
• Removal of oxygen
• Build up of carbon dioxide
(muscle respiration)
• chilled
• Changed bacterial ecology
• Long shelf-life
• Acceptable sensory
characteristics

19. MLA /CSIRO
Shelf life of Australian chilled, vacuum-
packed boneless beef

20. • Chilled
– -1 ± 0.5 °C
– 0.5 m s-1 air velocity
– Container set point -1.5 °C
• Frozen
– Freezing point about -2 °C
– Hard frozen about -6 °C
– Longer shelf-life at lower temperatures (-18⁰C)
Recommended temperature control

21. How does fresh meat become
unsuitable?
Zhang - ICoMST 2010

22. How does fresh meat become
unsuitable?
Zhang - ICoMST 2010
• Type of product (e.g.
fat content, presence
of bone)
• Level of bacteria
• Packing method
• Storage temperature

23. Changes in suitability
• Microbiological
– Spoilage due to bacterial growth
– Mould growth
• Chemical
– Oxidation of fats (rancidity)
– proteolysis – breakdown of protein structure
– Colour changes
• Physical
– Drying

24. Spoilage in the
presence of air
Off odour 1x107/cm2
Slime 7x107/cm2
Time depends on
• how many bacteria
are present
• temperature

25. 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200
Concentration
time (hr)
Growth of bacteria in vacuum pack
Initial number
at the time of
packing
Growth during
storage and
transport
Spoilage
AFTER growth
stops

26. Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB)
Vacuum packed meat (chilled):
– LAB grow & become dominant
– LAB recognized as safe for human consumption
– LAB used in many fermented foods - cheese, yoghurt,
fermented sausages, fermented vegetables
– LAB ensures that vacuum packed meat has a long
shelf-life

27. Growth of LAB in vacuum packed beef- effect of
temperature
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
0 10 20 30 40 50
Days
log(LacticAcidBacteria)
-0.5
2
4
7
°C

28. Case study –
Lamb shelf-life
Japanese consumer trial

31. Microbial Count against Appearance over time
0.0
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
12.0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Time (days)
APC(Primal)
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
Mean (Primal)
Fresh
2 days stored
Sensoryscore
(Appearance)

32. Microbial Count against Odour over time
0.0
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
12.0
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Time (days)
APC(Primal)
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
Mean (Primal)
Fresh
2 days stored
Sensoryscore
(Odour)

33. Microbial Count against Taste over time
0.0
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
12.0
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Time (days)
APC(Primal)
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
Mean (Primal)
Fresh
2 days stored
Sensoryscore
(Taste)

34. Cold chain data

38. State of the art temperature monitoring

41. Cold chain data- safety case study
• Chilled product
• Lamb carcase
• Road transport in Australia
• Intended for retail / home consumption

44. Smart-Trace Field Trial 1

46. Predictive modelling of bacterial growth
0
0.05
0.1
0.15
0.2
0.25
0.3
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Time (hours)
RefrigerationIndex
Product Average
Product Minimum
Product Maximum

47. Cold chain data- shelf-life case study
• Chilled product
• Lamb primal (large muscle)
• Export to UAE
• Intended for retail / home consumption

48. 1⁰C storage temperature = 10 days shelf-life
-2.00 °C
-1.00 °C
0.00 °C
1.00 °C
2.00 °C
3.00 °C
4.00 °C
5.00 °C
6.00 °C
7.00 °C
8.00 °C
9.00 °C
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Temperature/bacteria(logs)
Storage (days)

49. Short times at high temperatures are not significant
-2.00 °C
-1.00 °C
0.00 °C
1.00 °C
2.00 °C
3.00 °C
4.00 °C
5.00 °C
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5
Temperature/bacteria(logs)
Storage (days)

50. Cold chain data- quality case study
• Frozen product
• Lean beef trim
• Export to USA
• Ground for use in hamburger patties

51. Frozen product: Australia - USA
-25
-20
-15
-10
-5
0
5
10
15
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Time from packing (days)
Temperature(°C)
Refrig end
Midway
Door endLoaded onto ship
Discharged Philadelphia
Unpacked at cold store
Transported to Brisbane

52. Breaks in the cold chain
-25
-20
-15
-10
-5
0
5
10
15
37 37.2 37.4 37.6 37.8 38 38.2 38.4 38.6 38.8 39
Time from packing (days)
Temperature(°C)
Corner refrig end
Corner midway
Corner door end
Centre refrig end
Centre midway
Centre door end
Air door end

53. Exposure to ambient
-25
-20
-15
-10
-5
0
5
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Time (h)
Temperature(°C)
Corner 7
Corner 8
Centre 8
Corner 9
Corner 10
Corner 11
Centre 11
Corner 12

54. Intentional abuse of product
-25
-20
-15
-10
-5
0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Time from packing (weeks)
Temperature(°C)
Corner 7
Corner 8
Centre 8
Corner 9
Corner 10
Corner 11
Centre 11
Corner 12

55. Significance of temperature changes
TBARS(mgMDA/kgmeat)
Raw Cooked
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
Control
Ambient abuse
Off power

56. Impact of cold chain breaks
• Container Test Facility:
– Max 50 ºC, Min -10 ºC
– Humidity control: 40 to 90%
– Solar simulation
• Four sets of external conditions
– Constant: 10 ºC, 25 ºC, 40 ºC
– Variable: typical Mackay
summer’s day (with sun)

58. Quality in the Supply Chain
• Consumer perceptions are most important
• Temperature control is important
• Shelf-life can be shortened if temperature control is poor
• Not all breaks in the chain are a problem
• Technologies are available for real time temperature
monitoring
• Predictive models and simulations can be used to assess
supply chain temperature

59. Acknowledgements
Funding Research
Providers

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