Shelf-life evaluation of pork meat stored under different packaging atmospheres(Évaluation de la durée de conservation de viande de porc conditionnée sous différentes atmosphères)

The objective of this study is to evaluate the possibility of a 4 day shelf-life extension for pork meat, stored at refrigeration temperatures, when stored under modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). Three batches of fresh pork meat packed under air or MAP (70% O2 – 30% C02) were studied. The evolutions of the pH, the water activity and the gas composition of the batches during storage were monitored and the evolutions of the spoilage microflora (lactic acid bacteria, enterobacteriacae and Pseudomonas) were also evaluated. The collected data were fitted using predictive microbiology models to estimate the growth parameters of the spoilage microflora using the software Sym’Previus (http://www.symprevius.net). Simulations were then performed to evaluate the evolution of Pseudomonas in pork meat stored under the two packaging atmospheres for several realistic time temperature scenarios, reflecting poor storage profiles with temperature abuses. At the end of all the evaluated storage scenarios, microbial concentrations obtained under MAP packaging (shelf life of 11 days) were systematically lower than those obtained under air (shelf life of 7 days) and reflected satisfactory microbiological quality according to the thresholds recommended in the GHP thus proving that a 4 days extend in fresh pork meat shelf life was possible when packed under the studied modified atmosphere (70% O2 and 30% CO2).