Application of lysozyme in meat and meat products

Background and objective: Meat and meat products are highly perishable as they have relatively high water activity, and an appropriate pH level for microbial growth. Microbial growth may negatively affect meat quality, safety, sensory and nutritional properties. After a brief introduction to the topic, this article is divided into parts each of which covers quality aspects of added lysozyme and figures out ways to achieve better application of lysozyme in meat products conforming to market trends and Halal standards. Results and conclusion: Artificial antimicrobials have already been used, but safety concerns regarding the use of synthetic preservatives and consumer’s trend towards natural mildly processed products with extended shelf life, necessitate the identification of alternative additives originating from natural sources of new acceptable and effective antimicrobials. Although the effectiveness of some natural antimicrobial agents have already been reported, more reviews should investigate the possibility of using lysozyme for preservation of meat and meat products in combination with other hurdles such as high hydrostatic pressure or nisin. However, there are some limitations for application of lysozyme antimicrobials in meat products such as allergic problems, interactions with food constituents, ensuring halal conditions in production of lysozyme, reducing sensory changes and toxicity of high concentrations needed to prevent spoilage and oxidation in foods.

کلیدواژه ها:

Enzyme ، Halal ، Lysozyme ، Meat ، Natural antimicrobial.