Trends in meat and meat products packaging - a review.

The aim of any packaging system for fresh muscle foods is to prevent or delay undesirable changes to the appearance, flavour, odour, and texture. Deterioration in these qualities can result in economic losses due to consumer rejection of the product. Therefore, a preservative packaging should ideally inhibit undesirable enzyme activities, but not interfere with, or inhibit, activities that are beneficial. The non-enzimatic reactions that affect the organoleptic qualities of raw meats are invariably undesirable, so these should preferably be slowed or prevented by a preservative packaging.