Maintaining the safety and

suitability of perishable

products: cold chain for meat

Ian Jenson Meat & Livestock Australia

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

Meat and meat products

• Nature of product – Species – Carcase / carcase

parts – Aerobic/ vacuum

pack

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

International meat trade

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 13f14f15f16f17f0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200'000 tonnes swt

f = f orecasts

Record 963,000 tonnes swt in 2012

Beef exports to major destinations

Source: DAFF, MLA f orecasts

Japan US Korea other0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500'000 tonnes swt

2001 2011 2012f 2013f

f = f orecasts

Australian lamb exports

Source: ABS, MLA forecasts

95 97 99 01 03 05 07 09 11 13f 15f 17f0

50

100

150

200

250'000 tonnes cwt

f = forecast

Lamb exports to major

destinations

Source: DAFF, MLA f orecasts

Middle East US Greater China other0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70'000 tonnes swt

2001 2011 2012 2013f

f = f orecasts

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…

Transport

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

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

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

How long can fresh meat be stored

before it becomes unsuitable?

Zhang - ICoMST 2010

Overview of fresh meat storage

Storage life (days)

0 100 200 300 400 500

Sto

rag

e te

mp

erat

ure

-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

Overview of fresh meat storage

Storage life (days)

0 100 200 300 400 500

Sto

rag

e te

mp

erat

ure

-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

Vacuum packing

• Removal of oxygen • Build up of carbon dioxide

(muscle respiration) • chilled

• Changed bacterial ecology • Long shelf-life • Acceptable sensory

characteristics

MLA /CSIRO

Shelf life of Australian chilled, vacuum-

packed boneless beef

• 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

How does fresh meat become

unsuitable?

Zhang - ICoMST 2010

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

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

Spoilage in the

presence of air

Off odour 1x107/cm2

Slime 7x107/cm2

Time depends on • how many bacteria

are present • temperature

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200

Co

nce

ntr

atio

n

time (hr)

Growth of bacteria in vacuum pack

Initial number at the time of

packing

Growth during storage and

transport

Spoilage AFTER growth

stops

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

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

(L

acti

c A

cid

Bac

teri

a)

-0.5

2

4

7

°C

Case study – Lamb shelf-life Japanese consumer trial

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)

AP

C (

Pri

mal

)

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

Mean (Primal)

Fresh

2 days stored

Sen

sory

sco

re

(Ap

pea

ran

ce)

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)

AP

C (

Pri

mal

)

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

Mean (Primal)

Fresh

2 days stored

Sen

sory

sco

re

(Od

ou

r)

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)

AP

C (

Pri

mal

)

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

Mean (Primal)

Fresh

2 days stored

Sen

sory

sco

re

(Tas

te)

Cold chain data

State of the art temperature monitoring

Cold chain data- safety case study

• Chilled product • Lamb carcase • Road transport in Australia • Intended for retail / home consumption

Smart-Trace Field Trial 1

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)

Ref

riger

atio

n In

dex

Product Average

Product Minimum

Product Maximum

Cold chain data- shelf-life case study

• Chilled product • Lamb primal (large muscle) • Export to UAE • Intended for retail / home consumption

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

Tem

per

atu

re /

bac

teri

a (l

og

s)

Storage (days)

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

Tem

per

atu

re /

bac

teri

a (l

og

s)

Storage (days)

Cold chain data- quality case study

• Frozen product • Lean beef trim • Export to USA • Ground for use in hamburger patties

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)

Tem

pera

ture

(°C

)

Refrig endMidwayDoor endLoaded onto ship

Discharged Philadelphia

Unpacked at cold store

Transported to Brisbane

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)

Tem

per

atu

re (

°C) Corner refrig end

Corner midwayCorner door endCentre refrig endCentre midwayCentre door endAir door end

Exposure to ambient

-25

-20

-15

-10

-5

0

5

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Time (h)

Tem

per

atu

re (

°C) Corner 7

Corner 8Centre 8Corner 9Corner 10Corner 11Centre 11Corner 12

Intentional abuse of product

-25

-20

-15

-10

-5

0

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

Time from packing (weeks)

Tem

per

atu

re (

°C) Corner 7

Corner 8Centre 8Corner 9Corner 10Corner 11Centre 11Corner 12

Significance of temperature changes T

BA

RS

(m

g M

DA

/kg

mea

t)

Raw Cooked0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

ControlAmbient abuseOff power

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)

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

Acknowledgements

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