Shelf-life extension of fresh meat products using high pressure processing

The aim of this project was to investigate the limits of high-pressure processing (HPP) that can be applied to fresh meat for maintaining ‘acceptable’ colour with no detrimental effects on other eating quality parameters, and to determine the impact of this pressure treatment on shelf life.

The project consisted of four stages: 
1. Defining the pressure limits for colour stability and indicative shelf life
2. Verifying the optimum HPP conditions at pilot scale
3. Assessment of the shelf-life stability of pressure-treated meat at two storage temperatures
4. Investigation of the impact of HPP on shelf life and meat quality of sliced, steak portions.

Although HPP is an established processing technology for the shelf-life extension of ready-to-eat meat products, the results from this project indicate that the pressure threshold (200 MPa) required to maintain a ‘close to fresh’ meat appearance does not impact on the microbial populations to provide a beneficial extension of shelf-life of fresh meat primals or sliced steak portions.