Beef Preservation via Composite Essential Oil and Modified Atmosphere Packaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Beef is prone to deterioration, color change, and taste alteration during storage and sale due to biological, chemical, and physical factors, leading to reduced shelf life and commercial value, with existing modified atmosphere packaging methods either compromising meat color or antiseptic effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A method combining composite plant essential oils, such as clove, cinnamon, and illicium verum essential oils, with a modified atmosphere of 20% O2, 50% CO2, and 30% N2, applied through dipping and modified atmosphere packaging, to inhibit microbial growth and maintain meat color and nutritional quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If high concentration CO2 modified atmosphere packaging is used, then antiseptic effect is improved, but meat color deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the gas composition parameters of modified atmosphere packaging, using 30% CO2, 60% O2, and 10% N2 instead of high concentration CO2 alone. This parameter adjustment maintains antiseptic effect while preventing meat color deterioration by balancing CO2's bacterial inhibition with O2's color preservation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a composite gas mixture of CO2, O2, and N2 in specific proportions rather than using pure CO2. This composite atmosphere combines the antiseptic properties of CO2 with the color-maintaining properties of O2 and the inert buffering properties of N2, resolving the contradiction between antiseptic effect and meat color.
2Shape
If high concentration O2 modified atmosphere packaging is used, then meat color is improved, but antiseptic effect deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adjusts the gas composition parameters to 30% CO2, 60% O2, and 10% N2, optimizing the balance between O2's color-preserving effect and CO2's antiseptic effect. This parameter optimization ensures both good meat color and effective bacterial inhibition.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite gas atmosphere combining O2, CO2, and N2 in specific ratios. The O2 component maintains meat color, the CO2 component provides antiseptic effect, and N2 serves as an inert filler, collectively resolving the contradiction between color and antiseptic properties.
3Reliability
If plant essential oil is used as preservative, then natural food preservation effect is improved, but aromatic flavor increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the concentration parameter of plant essential oil to 0.5%-1.0%, which is sufficient to achieve natural preservation effect while limiting the aromatic flavor to acceptable levels. This parameter control balances preservation efficacy with sensory quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a moderate concentration of plant essential oil (0.5%-1.0%) rather than high concentration, achieving partial action that provides adequate preservation effect without excessive aromatic flavor that would affect meat quality.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method effectively prolongs beef shelf life to 24 days at 0-4°C, meeting national standards for aerobic bacterial counts and sensory properties, while maintaining a fresh red color and high nutritional quality.
Implementation Method 1
plant essential oil has better anti-bacteria and killing activity and anti-free radical oxidation effect, can serve as a natural food preservative and antiseptic
Implementation Method 2
CO2 gas can inhibit growth and propagation of most putrefying bacteria and mould
Implementation Method 3
O2 can inhibit growth and propagation of most anaerobic bacteria, keep fresh meat color and maintain fresh fruit and vegetable to perform aerobic respiration
Implementation Method 4
plant essential oil has better anti-bacteria and killing activity and anti-free radical oxidation effect
Data Source
AI summary
A method for preserving and conditioning beef comprises: cleaning and chopping picked fresh beef, dipping in composite essential oil prepared from clove essential oil, cinnamon essential oil and illicium verum essential oil for 30 s and taking out and draining slightly; placing the beef dipped into a modified atmosphere packaging box and fast precooling; inflating gas of mixed proportion into the cooled modified atmosphere packaging box with beef for preservation packaging and then storing at the low temperature of 0-4° C. The shelf life of the beef packaged by the method is up to 24 d. The aerobic bacterial count is not over 6.0 lgcfu/g. A total volatile basic nitrogen TVB-N value is not over 20 mg/100 g and belongs to the range of second freshness. The beef is stable in color, is cherry-red, has the advantage of good preservation effect and is used for cooking preserved cooked beef.