Project details
Status: Completed
This project seeks to evaluate and develop glucose application as an effective and reliable intervention for shelf-life extension of vacuum-packed (VP) chilled sheep meats.
Specifically, we will evaluate and optimise the potential of this intervention, including use of various lamb cuts from multiple sources at other storage temperatures to augment the evidence for addition of glucose as an intervention.
Studies to evaluate the potential for further acidification of meat by lactic acid as an intervention for shelf-life extension are also important, i.e., to develop underpinning science to support the proposed intervention.
The effectiveness of the proposed intervention on a commercial scale and how this affects the eating quality of VP lamb will also require rigorous investigation and optimization before commercial uptake.
Project findings
This research, which concluded in 2024, found that the application of glucose and lactic acid has potential as a practical and cost-effective approach for extending the shelf life of vacuum-packed lamb.
A summary of findings from this project is available on the Meat and Livestock Australia website.
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