Colour changes after carcasses decontamination by steam and lactic acid
Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 27, 2026

Biocontained Carcass Composting for Control of Infectious Disease Outbreak in Livestock
Published on: May 6, 2010
Petr Pipek1, Markéta Sikulová, Jarmila Jeleníková
1Department of Food Preservation and Meat Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology Praha, Technická 3, CZ-166 28 Praha 6, Czech Republic.
Abstract:
The surface decontamination of meat by steaming and by lactic acid prolongs its shelf life. Possible changes of colour were evaluated by reflectance spectrophotometry and video image analysis (VIA). Reflectance spectra were measured using a D(65) source and CIELab values L(∗), a(∗) and b(∗) were calculated together with ratios of the different myoglobin forms (red, oxy, met). The same samples were evaluated by video image analysis (software LUCIA). Steaming and spraying with lactic acid increased slightly the lightness (L(∗)) of the meat surface. Coordinate a(∗) (redness) decreased slightly after the decontamination treatment. This was confirmed by VIA; brightness increased and red-ratio r decreased. Both methods, i.e. reflectance spectrophotometry and VIA, reflect the colour changes in a similar way. The main advantage of reflectance spectrophotometry was its higher sensitivity and the possibility of direct calculation of the ratio of the haem pigment forms. However, video image analysis allows analysing of different particles in the image and this method is therefore a suitable tool for monitoring the changes of the surface appearance.
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