Consumers have many expectations when they store for meat, many of which are based on color.

KANSAS Urban center — It's all about the color when information technology comes to purchasing meat and poultry. Consumers eat with their eyes, and off-colored production does not get the taste buds excited.

Co-ordinate to The Power of Meat 2015 study from the North American Meat Establish, 65% of consumers sift through meat packages every fourth dimension they store, with product appearance the No. 2 cistron when selecting and buying meat and poultry. The No. 1 consideration is price.

"Information technology's a known fact that consumers prefer the bright cherry-scarlet color of fresh beef and the pink of fresh poultry," said Poulson Joseph, lead scientist of meat and poultry antioxidants at Kalsec in Kalamazoo, Mich. "Case-set packaging allows for ingredient technologies to keep color stable. Consumers feel more confident that colorful meat volition gustation succulent in one case they cook it."

Arno Sandoval, primary applications scientist at DuPont Nutrition and Health in St. Louis, said, "In the highly competitive and cost-sensitive market for fresh ground meat, producers must constantly friction match or exceed shelf life performance in gild to maintain market share. Bright scarlet color typically indicates product freshness, so retail shoppers may refuse acceptable ground meat that has begun to turn chocolate-brown in the display case or home refrigerator, resulting in returns and waste of food. To help delay the degradation effects from oxidation, manufacturers tin can employ natural antioxidants during processing without compromising the standard of identity, as they are labeled as natural flavors."

Proper color development in sure cooked meats, such every bit those described as cured, is just equally important as color retention in fresh meat, according to Ron Jenkins, commercial evolution manager of meat, poultry and seafood at Innophos Inc. in Cranbury, North.J. He explained that meat color is dependent on two muscle proteins, myoglobin and hemoglobin, with myoglobin being the predominant pigment poly peptide.

"Factors influencing meat color are extensive and include animal conditions such equally age, nutrition and metabolic state; muscle type; presence of nitrogenous compounds, for example nitrate or nitrite; packaging environment; ingredients; and pH," he said.

Rosemary and dark-green tea extracts are proven ingredients for their ability to positively bear on the appearance, taste and quality of meat.

Going natural

As consumer demand for clean, elementary, natural ingredients continues to rise, meat and poultry processors are moving away from synthetic ingredients in favor of make clean-characterization solutions. A number of establish extracts have been shown to ensure highly-seasoned color from processing plant to kitchen counter.

Rosemary and green tea extracts are proven ingredients for their ability to positively impact the appearance, taste and quality of meat. Both contain phenolic compounds that function as antioxidants, preventing oxidative breakdown of meat pigments by being oxidized themselves. The main difference between the ii plant extracts is that dark-green tea extract has a lower negative flavor contribution to the final product. Thus, using a lower level of rosemary extract in combination with green tea excerpt allows the manufacturer to increase the natural found extract usage rate, oftentimes resulting in an extract blend that works better in the meat production than using rosemary solitary, according to a study conducted at the Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln for Kemin Food Technologies, based in Des Moines, Iowa.

Acerola ruby-red extract is besides proving to be a highly effective ingredient in meat and poultry. Extracted from the namesake wild found grown in tropical and subtropical regions, acerola excerpt contributes the antioxidant vitamin C.

"Our acerola extract blends filibuster both lipid and myoglobin oxidation, thereby delaying the onset of color loss and maintaining the desirable color and quality of meat products," said Courtney Schwartz, senior marketing communications manager at Kemin. "When used in combination with rosemary and green tea extracts, acerola is more effective at delaying early discoloration than either extract alone."

Fruit extracts, similar acerola cherry, can assistance delay meat discoloration.

DuPont offers a patent-pending blend of acerola extract and green tea extract that maintains colour and sensory qualities in fresh footing beef and pork in the refrigerated meat case up to four days longer in overwrap packaging and even longer in loftier-oxygen packaging than samples treated with other or no plant extracts, according to Mr. Sandoval.

"Instance-ready meats have revolutionized fresh basis beefiness marketing," Mr. Joseph said. "Our patented natural antioxidant technology helps processors extend color shelf life while maintaining a product'due south appeal in taste and quality."

Kalsec offers a rosemary extract that retains fresh ground beef color in high oxygen-modified atmosphere (80% oxygen) case-set packaging – main bag or lidded trays – during storage and retail display. For boosted meat color stability, Kalsec developed an oxidation management ingredient system uniform with both modified atmosphere packaging (high and low oxygen) and overwrap packaging.

"The ingredient organisation optimizes acerola excerpt with rosemary extract to stabilize both the color and flavor in fresh meats by delaying pigment and lipid oxidation, respectively," Mr. Joseph said.

Corbion Purac, Lenexa, Kas., recently introduced an advanced nutrient safety ingredient that also assists with colour retentivity in fresh sausages and ground meats.

"Information technology is based on a patent-pending blend of vinegar and jasmine tea extract," said Saurabh Kumar, senior applications director of meat for Corbion Purac. "Vinegar is a source of acerb acid that is very effective against spoilage organisms and pathogens and is normally used in natural and make clean-label processed meats. Nonetheless, vinegar tin affect the pH of meat products, which can be detrimental to colour and bind. The pH of this ingredient has been optimized to maintain color uniformity and reduce greyness discoloration during shelf life."

Some ingredients, like those from Prosur and Wenda Ingredients, accept been shown to improve shelf life by preventing oxidation discoloration and spoilage in beef and chicken.

Through a partnership with Prosur Ingredients of Spain, Wenda Ingredients, based in Naperville, Ill., offers a range of proprietary blends of fruit and spice extracts with proven antimicrobial and antioxidant backdrop.

"One solution is designed for fresh meat and poultry and has been shown to meliorate shelf life past preventing oxidation discoloration and growth of spoilage microorganisms," said Chad Boeckman, national accounts and marketing manager at Wenda Ingredients. "On fresh, conventionally packaged chicken breast, shelf life can frequently be doubled from 12 to 24 days."

Another ingredient option contributes desirable cured colour and flavour to truthful-uncured cooked meats, such as cafeteria-manner hams, bacon and pepperoni.

"This organization allows for cured color with the lowest possible amount of residual nitrates or nitrites in the manufacture," Mr. Boeckman said.

Plum ingredients accept likewise been shown to help with color in fresh and cooked meat products, co-ordinate to Rick Perez, inquiry and development chef consultant for Sunsweet Ingredients, Walnut Creek, Calif.

"Plum ingredients can provide an indirect way to preserve or enhance colour, but they are not a replacement for nitrates/nitrites or other products designed to preserve color," Mr. Perez said. "If the application is about removing phosphates, fresh plum concentrate tin can assist with color, especially with poultry, as phosphates tend to bleach out the meat, making it whiter. With red meat, a lot depends on packaging. Fresh plum concentrate lone won't stop oxidation. What it does do is extend shelf life, which improves visual sensory analysis."

Appearance matters with meat and poultry. Colour is an important visual cue to freshness, quality and deliciousness.