Meat and meat products are important sources of all the B-complex vitamins (including thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, biotin, vitamins B6 and B12, pantothenic acid and folacin) as well as an excellent source of minerals such as iron, copper, zinc and manganese, and play an important role in the prevention of zinc and iron deficiencies
Meat contains fat which is a significant source of essential fatty acid and A, D, E and K vitamins. Therefore, products made of meat are indispensable part of nutrition. Meat products, depending on the type, represent a valuable source of energy needed for all processes of living organisms.
All the above mentioned facts show that meat and carefully selected meat products are useful and healthy products, especially for the period of growth and development of young people. Special attention should be paid to the quality and health while including meat and meat products in the diet.
From the very beginning of our venture, Carnex has always been paid attention to food safety and to protecting interest of consumers.
Carnex production is always under permanent control and supervision of our experts and institutions. Carnex experts, in charge of production and technology, knowing biological values, raw materials content, nature and changes that occur while processing food, do everything to preserve all the main characteristics and ingredients by applying strictly controlled procedures.
Therefore, the quality and safety of Carnex products which are produced according to its long tradition is our recommendation when choosing meat products, as an essential part of regular nutrition.
According to a definition, additives are the substances added to preserve food and keep its qualities, to prevent food spoilage caused by microbiological contaminants. In the food processing industry additives are used in accordance with the Regulation on quality and conditions under which additives are used in food, and other requirements for additives and its compounds, Official Gazette of SCG 56/03. The Regulation contains a positive (allowable) list of additives; their production, quality and purity, dosage, labeling and other requirements are all legislated for.
Numerous complex compounds can have a negative effect on human health, if used improperly. Therefore, the above mentioned Regulation strictly prescribes conditions which have to be fulfilled before putting additives into products on sale and their use in production, as well as maximally allowed quantities which can be applied in specific foodstuffs in order to perform their function while not to endanger consumer’s health.
Carnex uses only one additive, sodium nitrite, of all allowable additives in meat processing industry. Sodium nitrite is added with salt in strictly controlled conditions, under permanent supervision of experts in charge. Adding this additive to products, in minimal quantity is technological justifiable since it is a colour enhancer, as well as it is scientifically proven that it has a positive effect on preventing C.botulinum growth.
In fact, since sodium nitrite is used in meat products, cases of botulism have been reduced.
The food additive sodium nitrite is present in Carnex products in minimal quantity, technologically justifiably used, safely used in finished products in accordance with the prescribed conditions of the Regulation.
Meat technology is divided into two separate production groups: meat production and production of meat processed products.
In meat production there are several technological processes applied such as slaughtering, cooling and cutting. After the process of producing meat of different categories and classes is finished, we begin with production of processed products.
Production of meat processed products comprises numerous and complex technological processes. We shall mention only a few of them:
• Cooling and freezing
• Salting and brining
• Smoking of meat and meat products (cold, medium warm and warm smoking)
• Thermal processing (cooking, pasteurization, sterilization)
• Packing
• Drying
• Maturity process
• Fermentation
Almost all kinds of meat products are the result of applying different combinations of the above mentioned processes.
• For the past few millennia meat has been preserved in low temperatures. Temperature is one of the basic parameters, which determine the speed of all enzymes and chemical-physical changes. When temperature drops, the reproduction of micro-organism is slowed down, almost stopped. Therefore, proper meat cooling procedure represents one of the most important measures for prevention of alimentary intoxication and tocsin-infection. Temperature of cooling and freezing provides sustainability and proper meat quality within a certain time period.
• Salting is a technological procedure in which salt is used for raw material treatment. If some other additives besides salt are used in order to get better consistency, colour, longer shelf life, such a procedure is called brining. It is a complex process practiced in order to provide longer shelf life, to achieve certain colour and flavour.
• The curing of meat is one of the oldest ways to preserve meat. Curing, in brief, has several effects: creating a typical colour, flavour and aroma of cured product, preserving effect caused by smoke and better sustainability of products, since ingredients of smoke are fungi proof and bacteria proof.
• Thermal processing adds sensory effects to meat products and extends shelf life. Different thermal procedures are applied depending on the type of a product. The basic procedures used in thermal processing are cooking, pasteurisation and sterilisation. Cooking is a thermal treatment of a product at the temperature of boiling water or higher. Pasteurisation is a procedure of conserving a product at the temperature below boiling point. Pasteurised meat products require cold chain in distribution and storage. Sterilisation is a procedure of thermal process at the temperature above 110 C, which means, high sterilisation at the temperature above 120 C on which the products are commercially sterile, with long shelf life and do not require cold chain in distribution.
• Packing material provides protection of packed product from mechanical, physical-chemical, microbial and biological changes caused by environmental factors and storage period. Packing material should store and keep the food unchanged until use, to transport food to a consumer. The package has to be attractive and to motivate a consumer to buy the food. Packing conditions of meat products can be different, for instance: packing under normal conditions, packing under vacuum, in the zone of protective gasses, aseptic packing etc.
• One of the most important characteristics of meat products during which go through a drying process, is their sustainability, based on low aw values i.e. dehydration of product.
• Maturity process is a process that comprises several physical, chemical and microbiological changes, which determine the organoleptic characteristics of the final product. Microbes are of vital importance for the maturity process. During maturing, products are exposed to adequate conditions for the development of useful microbes and inadequate for damaging microbes. Therefore, it is important to keep adequate temperature, moisture, air circulation and Ph during the maturity process.
• Fermentation of meat is a process which comprises a number of physical, chemical and enzyme changes which produce a solid, recognizable red color in meat, characteristic aroma of fermented products and desirable consistency. Microorganisms play an important role in the fermentation process. During this process products are exposed to conditions which are adequate for the growth of useful microorganisms and at the same time inadequate for the growth of pathogenic microorganisms. Therefore, significant factors of the process are temperature, moisture, air circulation and pH of products.
During production of meat products positive characteristics of several technological procedures are combined in order to accomplish better sensor characteristics, longer shelf life and to produce safe and quality products.
Positive sides of a number of technological processes are combined during production process in order to accomplish better characteristics, longer durability and safe and high-quality product.
The instructions on the package have to be strictly followed. Instructions give more detailed information about the product, keeping conditions and use (if needed). So, if we follow instructions on the package, we can be sure that we will have a safe and high-quality product within the shelf life stated on declaration.
