Shelf life can be defined by several factors including safety, microbial spoilage and quality deterioration. Quality deterioration can be related to off-flavor development often associated with lipid oxidation and discoloration can occur in raw meat with pigment oxidation or with cured color fading with cured meats, explains Gary Sullivan, assistant professor of meat processing for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
“Providing safety is essential for all products, and the shelf-life and quality characteristics must achieve the desired specifications for the product you are producing,” he says.