Natural Antioxidants for Meat/Poultry/Seafood
MAP Packaged Meat Treatments
Modified Atmosphere Packaging, abbreviated MAP, utilizes gas mixtures and packaging materials technology to extend the shelf life of food products. For meat products, the atmosphere in the package is modified by pulling a vacuum then replacing the package atmosphere with a gas mixture of i.e. oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) or nitrogen (N2) and carbon dioxide mixtures.
A typical gas mixture for general purpose MAP is 80% N2 and 20% CO2. Raw fresh meats packaged in low oxygen atmosphere packaging are prepared for the display case by peeling off an "outer" oxygen impermeable film exposing an oxygen permeable film which allows the ground beef to oxygenate for the typical red meat color or "bloom". The amount of time required to remove the outer barrier film and wait an additional 20-30 minutes for the meat to "bloom" is a disadvantage for many U.S. meat merchandisers utilizing low oxygen modified atmosphere packaging.
A second more popular MAP option is to utilize high oxygen (80% O2, 20% CO2) gas mixture. A single oxygen impermeable layer of film is used to seal the tray containing the meat. The oxygen gas component maintains meat "bloom" throughout distribution and display. Minimal time and handling in preparing the MAP packages for merchandising is a notable advantage for high oxygen MAP packaging.
However, utilizing this concentration of oxygen can induce unwanted off-flavors from oxidation of the meat. These erroneous flavors limit the acceptable shelf-life of the product even though the meat remains intrinsically safe.
Incorporation of Herbalox Seasoning in high oxygen MAP ground beef can provide additional days of shelf-life under normal distribution and display conditions. Herbalox® Seasoning fortified MAP fresh ground beef extends the fresh ground beef color for meat display cases and controls off-flavors that arise from meat oxidation.
There are also marketing and distribution advantages to be realized by using Herbalox® Seasoning in conjunction with high oxygen MAP:
- Expanded radius of distribution systems and point-of-sale market area
- Improved branding and product differentiation options
- Increased profitability in fresh food applications
- "Natural Flavor" label
Natural Antioxidants for Poultry
Color degradation is another consequence of oxidation in poultry and is a limiting factor in the shelf life of many varieties of minimally- processed poultry products. Ground and mechanically-separated poultry quickly turns from reddish-pink to a brownish-gray color. Oxidation of oxymyoglobin pigments to metmyoglobin pigments shifts the hue of fresh meat from an appetizing reddish-pink to brownish-gray. This change is accelerated by exposure to light and temperatures typical of retail display conditions. The increase in content of brownish-gray metmyoglobin pigments correlates with increases in TBARS. The graph below depicts the interrelationship between the shift in composition of meat pigments from oxymyoglobin to metmyoglobin and the progression of lipid oxidation reactions as measured by TBA analysis. 
Solution: Extending Color Life Addition and thorough distribution of Herbalox® Seasoning to ground poultry (by way of direct addition) and whole muscle (by way of marinades and injection solutions) can extend shelf life by effectively neutralizing or quenching free radicals and inhibiting oxidation of oxymyoglobin pigments.
Natural Antioxidants for Seafood
Due to the amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids found in seafood, stabilization of these products can be a significant challenge. Kalsec® antioxidants have been shown to demonstrate improved shelf life in a variety of seafood under a variety of conditions including minced and fillets as well as frozen products. Kalsec® Duralox Oxidation Management Systems perform to protect seafood against many of the processing stresses placed on these products.
