Uses of Chemical Technologies for Meat Decontamination

Traditional meat preservation techniques such as smoking, drying, and salting have various shortcomings and limitations in effectively reducing microbial loads and maintaining meat quality. Consequently, chemical compounds have gained attention as promising alternatives for decontamination, offering the potential to extend shelf life and minimize physical, chemical, and sensory changes in meat. Chlorine-based compounds, trisodium phosphate, organic acids, bacteriocins, lactoferrin, and peracetic acid are technologies of recent industrial applications that inhibit spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms in meat. This review explores the critical aspects of decontamination and assesses the efficacy of different chemical compounds employed in meat preservation. These compounds exhibit strong microorganism inactivation capabilities, ensuring minimal alterations to the meat matrix and substantially reducing environmental impact.