Project trials gentle sterilisation of meat and sausage products

The short shelf life of meat and sausage products means that more than 24% of the meat products produced in Europe are lost at some stage along the value creation chain, with the majority of this loss occurring in shops and after purchase by consumers.

Contamination by zoonotic pathogens during manufacture can also present a health risk for consumers. Surface sterilisation of the packaged meat and sausage products by IR or UV radiation should increase the microbiological safety and shelf life of these products, as subsequent microbial contamination through the packaging can be ruled out.

A project funded by the AiF (German Federation of Industrial Research Associations) involving the Fraunhofer IVV and the German Institute for Food Technology (DIL) has begun to develop gentle processes for the surface sterilisation of packaged meat and sausage products.

A small pilot plant will be designed and constructed for continuous surface sterilisation with IR and UV radiation. Detailed trials will identify suitable treatment parameters for sterilising products in continuous operation in order to allow a high throughput in a short time. The effect of the different treatment parameters on key quality features such as the odour, taste, texture and colour will also be investigated, as will any effects on the properties of the different packaging materials.