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The practical storage life of Australian frozen boxed beef and lamb

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 There is little data on the practical frozen shelf life of commercially produced meat that has  been stored beyond 12 months, and how frozen storage temperature affects eating quality.  Commercially produced Australian boxed beef and lamb (loin and trim with low and high fat  content) was processed and frozen under standard commercial conditions and shipped (by sea and air, respectively) to the UK. In the UK, products were stored at -12°C, -18°C and -24°C, and instrumental and sensorial analyses conducted over a 38-month period from processing.  No clear relationships or trends between sample type, storage temperature, and the time of  storage were apparent in instrumentally measured quality parameters (colour, cook loss,  texture, or microbial quality) apart from those relating to lipid oxidation (peroxide value (PV) and assay of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS)). Some changes were found in  characteristics assessed by a sensory panel. Lipid oxidation was observed in all products at all  temperatures but not at levels that would be expected to be detected by sensory assessment, which was confirmed by the sensory panel. This study shows that commercially produced,  vacuum packed, Australian boxed frozen beef and lamb loin and beef trims shipped by air or  sea can be subsequently stored at -12°C, -18°C, or -24°C without significant sensory  degradation for a period of over 36 months. Frozen boxed lamb wrapped in plastic did not  degrade significantly in meat flavour or lamb odour intensity or frequently produce  unacceptable sensory scores until more than 28 months of frozen storage. 

Funding

This work was supported by an MLA contract [Project code V.MFS.0428, 2018-2022] to the Food Refrigeration and Process Engineering Research Centre. The writing of this paper was supported by Australian Meat Processor Corporation (AMPC) contract [2024-1058] to FIRST Management Pty Ltd.

History

School affiliated with

  • College of Health and Science (Research Outputs)

Publication Title

International Journal of Refrigeration

Volume

171

Pages/Article Number

51-65

Publisher

Elsevier

ISSN

0140-7007

eISSN

1879-2081

Date Submitted

2024-07-11

Date Accepted

2024-12-26

Date of First Publication

2025-01-08

Date of Final Publication

2025-03-01

Funder

Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA)

Relevant SDGs

  • SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production
  • SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Open Access Status

  • Open Access

Date Document First Uploaded

2024-12-28

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