Meat and meat products constitute one of the most important foods in western societies. However, the area of meat biotechnology is not as comprehensively covered as other areas of food biotechnology. Missing from this area are the recent developments for better sensory and nutritional quality as well as improved safety. The main goal of this book is to provide the reader with the recent developments in biotechnology and their applications in the meat processing chain. To achieve this goal, the book is divided into four parts. The first part deals with the use of modern biotechnology applied to farm animals. The second part focuses on the recent biotechnological developments in starter cultures for better meat fermentation. The third part discusses current approaches to improve the quality and nutritional properties of meats. The final part presents the latest advances in protection against foodborne pathogens, and other recent trends in the field. Written by distinguished international contributors, this book brings together the advances in such varied and different biotechnological topics.

Genetic-based animal biotechnology has produced new food and pharmaceutical products and promises many more advances to benefit humankind. These exciting prospects are accompanied by considerable unease, however, about matters such as safety and ethics. This book identifies science-based and policy-related concerns about animal biotechnologyâ€"key issues that must be resolved before the new breakthroughs can reach their potential. The book includes a short history of the field and provides understandable definitions of terms like cloning. Looking at technologies on the near horizon, the authors discuss what we know and what we fear about their effectsâ€"the inadvertent release of dangerous microorganisms, the safety of products derived from biotechnology, the impact of genetically engineered animals on their environment. In addition to these concerns, the book explores animal welfare concerns, and our societal and institutional capacity to manage and regulate the technology and its products. This accessible volume will be important to everyone interested in the implications of the use of animal biotechnology.

Many of the difficulties that meat and animal scientists face when attempting to address specific problems-such as stress susceptibility and poor meat quality in swine-stem from a lack of understanding of the underlying biological mechanisms that drive muscle growth, metabolism, and its conversion to meat. This book provides current knowledge about

This book comprehensively describes the biological underpinnings of red meat production, discussing the current state of the science in the context of the provision of red meat products perceived by consumers to offer a quality eating experience. Covering advances in the science of red meat production, it focuses on production system elements that affect product quality. The chapters explore the latest developments in the determination of consumer preferences, and interpret of these preferences in terms of quality characteristics of red meat, investigating the science-based orchestration of red meat production to achieve product consistency. The book highlights topics such as consumer preferences, the biological and production system elements affecting red meat safety, and the intrinsic (appearance, aroma, and sensory quality) and extrinsic (humane animal and environmentally friendly production) characteristics of red meat. For each characteristic, it discusses the underlying biological and biochemical processes and examines means of altering production systems to impact consumer eating experiences. The book also features a perspective on creating holistic integrated systems for producing red meats to meet consumers’ expectations around the globe. Written by leading authorities in the area of global red meat production systems, it is a comprehensive resource for consumer-oriented red meat producers.

"This book contains over 300 offered papers in addition to 4 papers from invited speakers presented at the 52nd International Congress of Meat Science and Technology, held in Dublin, Ireland, from 13-18 August 2006. Under the theme of harnessing and exploiting global opportunities, areas covered in the congress included meat quality encompassing genomics and biotechnology, animal production and production systems, muscle biology and biochemistry; meat safety, meat processing and packaging technology, consumer topics and meat and health. A new approach this year was to address specific hot topics important to the industry and meat scientists, in particular, electrical stimulation and new instrumental methods for evaluation of meat quality characteristics. These proceedings reflect the truly global nature of meat research and give an insight into the current research issues for the industry."

Meat is a global product, which is traded between regions, countries and continents. The onus is on producers, manufacturers, transporters and retailers to ensure that an ever-demanding consumer receives a top quality product that is free from contamination. With such a dynamic product and market place, new innovative ways to process, package and assess meat products are being developed. With ever increasing competition and tighter cost margins, industry has shown willingness to engage in seeking novel innovative ways of processing, packaging and assessing meat products while maintaining quality and safety attributes. This book provides a comprehensive overview on the application of novel processing techniques. It represents a standard reference book on novel processing, packaging and assessment methods of meat and meat products. It is part of the IFST Advances in Food Science book series.

This handbook comprehensively presents the current status of the manufacturing of the most important meat products. Editor and renowned meat expert Fidel Toldrá heads an international collection of meat scientists who have contributed to this essential reference book. Coverage is divided into three parts. Part one, Technologies, begins with discussions on meat chemistry, biochemistry and quality and then provides background information on main technologies involved in the processing of meat, such as freezing, cooking, smoking, fermentation, emulsification, drying and curing. Also included are key chapters on packaging, spoilage prevention and plant cleaning and sanitation. Part two, Products, is focused on the description of the manufacture of the most important products, including cooked and dry-cured hams, cooked and fermented sausages, bacon, canned meat, paté, restructured meats and functional meat products. Each chapter addresses raw materials, ingredients and additives, processing technology, main types of products, production data, particular characteristics and sensory aspects, and future trends. Part three, Controls, offers current approaches for the control of the quality and safety of manufactured meat products, with coverage including sensory evaluation; chemical and biological hazards including GMOs; HACCP; and quality assurance. This book is an invaluable resource for all meat scientists, meat processors, R&D professionals and product developers. Key features: Unparalleled international expertise of editor and contributing authors Addresses the state of the art of manufacturing the most important meat products Special focus on approaches to control the safety and quality of processed meats Extensive coverage of production technologies, sanitation, packaging and sensory evaluation