Consumers’ interest in natural and organic products along with products that are labeled with simplified ingredient lists are driving the development and increased use of shelf-life extenders.
Still, processors have at least three things to consider for shelf life: color, bacterial control and flavor preservations, i.e., rancidity control, says Joseph Sebranek, Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in agriculture and life sciences at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. Once color is achieved, it is best preserved by appropriate packaging systems whether fresh meat or cured meat are involved. For bacterial control, sodium or potassium lactates and diacetates have been used a great deal for some time and are very effective, but more recently interest has focused on ingredients that are “clean” in terms of the label or that are natural or organic, Sebranek says.