System for preserving fresh meat products
View Patent ↗A method for preserving a food product, such as meat, comprising the steps of inoculating meat with an effective amount of euhygienic non-pathogenic, non-spoilage bacteria in order to competitively inhibit the growth of undesired pathogenic and spoilage bacteria. Edible films that incorporate and/or cover euhygenic bacteria on the food product are used to ensure competitive inhibition of undesired spoilage and pathogenic bacteria.
1. A system for preserving fresh meat products, comprising:
a means for reducing the number of bacteria on a fresh meat;
a means for inoculating the surface of the fresh meat with an effective amount of non-spoilage and non-pathogenic bacteria effective to competitively inhibit the growth of pathogenic and spoilage bacteria, said non-spoilage and non-pathogenic bacteria capable of multiplying at temperatures as low as about −1° C.;
a means for reducing the number of bacteria on said fresh meat product to below about 5,000 bacteria; and
a means for maintaining said fresh meat in a temperature environment that selectively favors the proliferation of said non-spoilage and non-pathogenic bacteria.
2. A system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said non-spoilage and non-pathogenic bacteria is a facultative, sacrophilic, gram positive bacteria.
3. A system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said non-spoilage and non-pathogenic bacteria is selected from the genus Lactobacillus.
4. A system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said non-spoilage and non-pathogenic bacteria comprises obligately homofermentative lactobacilli.
5. A system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said non-spoilage and non-pathogenic bacteria do not ferment gluconate or pentoses.
6. A system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said non-spoilage and non-pathogenic bacteria comprises a facultatively heterofermentative lactobacilli.
7. A system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said non-spoilage and non-pathogenic bacteria is able to competitively inhibit the growth of spoilage bacteria.
8. A system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said non-spoilage and non-pathogenic bacteria is acidophilic.
9. A system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said non-spoilage and non-pathogenic bacteria is able to proliferate in a pH environment of from about pH 4 to about pH7.
10. A system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said non-spoilage and non-pathogenic bacteria produces lactic acid.
11. A system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said non-spoilage and non-pathogenic bacteria comprises Lactobacillus delbrueckii, L. leichmann ii, L. jensenii, L. lactis, L. bulgaricus, L. helveticus or L. acidophilus.
12. A system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said non-spoilage and non-pathogenic bacteria comprises Lactobacillus delbrueckii, L. leichmannii, L. jensenii, L. lachs, L. bulgaricus, L. he/veticus, L. acidophilus, or Hafnia alvei.
13. A system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said non-spoilage and non-pathogenic bacteria comprises predominantly L. delbrueckii.
14. A system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said non-spoilage and non-pathogenic bacteria comprises predominantly Hafnia alveii.
15. A system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said non-spoilage and non-pathogenic bacteria do not produce bacteriocins.
16. A system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said fresh meat product comprises meat from poultry, beef, pork, lamb, fish and seafood.