Meat packaging solutions to current industry challenges: A review.

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Materials Science
• Packaging Engineering

Background:

• The meat industry faces persistent challenges including quality degradation, safety concerns, and supply chain inefficiencies.
• Traditional packaging methods often fall short in addressing issues like microbial spoilage, color instability, and purge.
• Emerging smart packaging technologies present novel opportunities to mitigate these industry-specific problems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current and potential smart packaging solutions for the meat industry.
• To evaluate the utility of active and intelligent packaging in addressing specific industry concerns.
• To guide industry stakeholders in selecting appropriate packaging technologies based on defined success metrics.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature review of active and intelligent packaging applications in the meat sector.
• Analysis of packaging solutions addressing dark cutting, purge, yield loss, traceability, durability, microbial safety, color, environmental impact, and eating quality.
• Discussion of the identified approaches regarding their applicability for processors, retailers, and consumers.

Main Results:

• Various active and intelligent packaging strategies were identified for each specific meat industry challenge.
• The usefulness of these packaging solutions varies depending on the stakeholder (processor, retailer, consumer).
• Smart packaging effectiveness is contingent on clear industry-defined success criteria and its integration into a holistic quality management system.

Conclusions:

• Smart packaging technologies hold significant potential to address critical meat industry challenges.
• Successful implementation requires a clear understanding of industry needs and consumer expectations.
• Packaging solutions should be viewed as part of a comprehensive strategy, not an isolated fix.