Any residual air is vacuumed out of the package and is replaced with an alternative gas combination. This gas combination is usually comprised of oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen. “It’s all about how you package it,” Echeverry conveyed as he explained the variations of shelf life strictly due to packaging methods. Vacuum packaged beef that is boxed and ground in the grocery store will last an average of 35 days while other case ready ground beef has an average shelf life of 10 days. The project’s results have shown that when air is extracted, and a modified atmosphere of gases is added, this also will increase the shelf life of ground beef. Carbon dioxide is added to this innovative packaging procedure and the
desired cherry-red color is prolonged; Tech researchers are working to find the level where maximum freshness can be achieved, but spoiled beef can still be recognizable by the consumer once expiration of the meat has surpassed. In addition to finding solutions in increasing shelf life of ground beef, The Department of Animal and Food Sciences is continually working to better the food industry and make our goods as efficient as possible.A
Innovative Minds
beef completely non-perishable. If ground beef containing LAB is not refrigerated at less than 40 degrees Fahrenheit, LAB can have the opposite effect on meat and cause the ground beef to spoil faster. Studies involving LAB have been previously used in other Tech research projects, particularly related to fighting the growth of salmonella and E. coli. Only later did this Tech research team discover that controlling pathogen growth was directly related to preventing this harmful bacteria growth, as well as increasing the shelf life of ground beef. Another major factor in the study relates to the packaging of the ground beef. Since most of the ground beef consumers see is sealed using modified atmospheric packaging, or MAP, Tech researchers have based their research on the use of this packaging to mimic the industry’s conditions as close as possible. The type of packages holds the ground beef in a rigid plastic tray with an absorbant pad under the beef.
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