Use of antimicrobial packaging systems in the production and storage of meat and meat products

Many microbiological, enzymatic, physicochemical, and biochemical changes occur during the production and storage of fresh and processed meat products, which tend to deteriorate more easily by their nature. Nevertheless, consumers mainly prefer cost-effective foods that have a longer shelf life and minimally modified natural properties, can be easily prepared, and in which fewer additives are used. For these reasons, the food packaging industry has turned towards developing new applications with different functions that are not found in traditional packaging methods, such as antimicrobial packaging systems, especially for the protection and improvement of food quality and safety. In this type of packaging, in addition to improving food safety and quality, the shelf life of the product is extended by slowing down the growth rate of microorganisms. Thus, the existing growth of microorganisms during the transportation and storage of the product is also prevented. Therefore, the preservatives taken into the human body with foods are reduced, and the negative effects on health are also avoided. In these systems, the application of antimicrobial food packaging components to the packaging material can be performed by the addition of antimicrobial agents into the polymer, coating polymer surfaces with antimicrobial agents, immobilizing antimicrobial agents on the polymer, and using polymers with antimicrobial properties. In this review, antimicrobial packaging and application methods were generally explained, and innovative packaging systems and their use in meat and meat products were evaluated.