Quality Attributes and Shelf Life of High-Pressure Preserved Beef as Affected by Pre-treatment Conditions

This study analyzed the effects of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) and composition of the pre-treatment immersion step, on quality attributes (color and lipid oxidation) and shelf life based on microbial counts of a beef product, during cold storage at 0 °C. Meat slices were immersed in a preservative solution containing sodium nitrite, ascorbic acid, and two different concentrations of NaCl (30 and 60 g/L); HHP of 400 and 600 MPa were applied. Results were compared with those of an untreated beef control. Color parameters of the HHP-treated beef were visually acceptable (a* > 14) in all tested cases, although they were affected by NaCl concentration and the applied pressure. HHP increased TBARS index, observing higher values at 600 than at 400 MPa; samples immersed in the solution containing 30 g/L NaCl presented higher TBARS values. However, in all cases, they remained below the detection limit of rancid meat products (<1 mg MDA/kg). Beef samples immersed in the solution with the highest concentration of NaCl (60 g/L) and subjected to 400 or 600 MPa maintained their microbial stability over 5 and 6 weeks, respectively, at 0 °C; these shelf life values were higher than those observed in the samples treated with 30 g/L NaCl.