A recent study at Iowa State University showed how packaging can affect consumer choices for bacon.

Iowa State researchers wanted to see if natural antioxidant treatments would prevent or minimize color changes in packaged bacon. While the treatments had little effect, the packaging had a significant influence.

Stephanie Major, a senior in animal science and meat science, helped lead the research, working with Terry Houser, associate professor of animal science. 

Over time, retail lighting and exposure to oxygen can cause photo-oxidation of cured meat products, causing the bacon to appear gray or brown in color. 

“Bacon is increasingly offered in full-service meat cases in Iowa and throughout the country. As a result, this graying effect in bacon is no doubt off-putting to consumers even if it does not necessarily reflect a decline in meat quality or safety,” Houser said. 

The factors they looked at included two different natural brine solutions - rosemary green tea and smoked sugar - and two types of packaging – aerobic (oxygenated) and anaerobic (de-oxygenated, also called vacuum-packed). The bacon was exposed to LED lighting typically found in retail stores. 

Bacon in different types of packaging in research cooler.

The experiment was conducted under refrigerated conditions in a lighted, retail display cooler, where Major monitored and recorded the color values of bacon using a colorimeter, a handheld light meter that records standardized color values. She compared the color of bacon from the two brine treatments in the oxygenated and de-oxygenated packaging. 

The researchers decided to measure the color of the bacon in the aerobic packaging every two hours, as it faded so quickly. Bacon in anaerobic packaging was measured less frequently, as it hardly faded over the weeklong study period. 

The anaerobically packaged bacon slowly developed a deeper red color, a change more in line with consumer preferences. Based on studies elsewhere, the researchers hypothesize that this could be due to still active mitochondria in the meat, causing it to continue absorbing oxygen and to become more pigmented.

“Anaerobic packaging is the current industry standard, but it hasn't been studied a lot, especially for partially heat processed meat products like bacon,” Major said. “Our research confirms that it prolongs the attractiveness of bacon on the shelf. Ultimately, that’s going to improve product sales and reduce waste.” 

Major’s poster about the project won second place in a competition at the Reciprocal Meats Conference in Oklahoma City in 2024. An abstract on the findings was published in the journal Meat Muscle Biology, abstract 51, with Major as first author. Funding for the project came from the Iowa Pork Producers Association. 

Major has also worked on another pork-related study looking at a protein, Alpha Actinin, as a possible measure of pork chop quality. A report from that work with Iowa State meat scientists Elisabeth Huff-Lonergan and Steven Lonergan will be published soon, and Major will present a poster on the research at the 2025 Reciprocal Meats Conference in Columbus, Ohio. 

After graduation, Major plans to intern with Tyson Foods to work on McDonald's poultry products, then return to Iowa State to attend graduate school and continue research in the Houser lab. 

Source: Iowa State University