Abstract

Meat refers to animal tissues that can be used as food, its main component being skeletal muscle with some degree of fat and connective tissue. Since the early 1980s, the production, consumption and world trade of meat has increased considerably and these changes are related to world population growth, urbanization and rising domestic incomes in developing countries, as well as changes in consumption patterns, which trigger a global increase in demand for food of animal origin. In general terms, “quality” can be defined as the extent to which a product or service meets consumer expectations over time. When referred to meat quality, it focuses on hygienic aspects during its production, to its nutritional value or to the organoleptic or technological characteristics. The conservation of food implies the action to keep it with the properties or desired nature for as long as possible. The application of cold in meat, as the most used method for its conservation, is mainly due to two purposes: to preserve the initial food quality, with a view to its consumption, and to keep it at an adequate temperature for its maturation and the chemical and biochemical reactions that determine its quality and shelf life. The shelf life of food can be defined as the maximum time in which food maintains its nutritional, sensory, microbiological and safety qualities at levels accepted by consumers. Refrigeration and freezing are the most used traditional methods to preserve meat, based on the application of cold to the carcasses. The main objective is to avoid decomposition due to bacterial alteration