Distribution of Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Species in Conventional and Biodegradable Modified Atmosphere Packaging in Various Pork Meat Products

Biodegradable packaging materials are of increasing interest to the food packaging industry, as well as to the end consumers, as awareness of the environmental damage of conventional packaging materials has grown. Up to this point not many studies have been performed investigating the applicability of biodegradable packaging materials in fresh pork meat. Lipid oxidation is considered to be one major factor in meat spoilage and reduction of quality and acceptability overall. This study was performed to determine the lipid oxidation in conventional and biodegradable modified atmosphere packaging in various pork meat products. Over the course of up to 52 days, lipid oxidation, fat content, and gas composition were assessed and compared between the packaging materials. The meat matrices used were ground pork meat and pork loin. The biodegradable packaging was based on polylactic acid and cellulose. No significant differences were found in the thiobarbituric acid reactive species values. This study suggests that biodegradable modified atmosphere packaging might be a suitable alternative to conventional materials during the minimum storage life usually applied in the meat retail sector.