Meat preservation
Encyclopedia
Meat preservation includes a set treatment processes for preserving nutritious
properties, taste, texture and color of raw, partially cooked or cooked meats while keeping them edible and safe to consume.
The invention of such processes can be traced back to antiquity
, and although some come from 18th and 19th century research, the latest discoveries concerning meat preservation stem from nuclear physics
and biochemistry
.
The preservation of the meat
has always been a method to prevent against famine
, but has also acquired a political and economic dimension in the growth of the human population. In developed countries, this conservation depends largely upon the food industry
rather than individuals. For lesser-developed countries, the Food and Agriculture Organization
considers the absence of meat preservation techniques would present a serious obstacle to the development of viable meat production by resource-poor rural livestock producers.
Nutrition
Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....
properties, taste, texture and color of raw, partially cooked or cooked meats while keeping them edible and safe to consume.
The invention of such processes can be traced back to antiquity
Ancient history
Ancient history is the study of the written past from the beginning of recorded human history to the Early Middle Ages. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, with Cuneiform script, the oldest discovered form of coherent writing, from the protoliterate period around the 30th century BC...
, and although some come from 18th and 19th century research, the latest discoveries concerning meat preservation stem from nuclear physics
Nuclear physics
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei. The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons technology, but the research has provided application in many fields, including those...
and biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
.
The preservation of the meat
Meat
Meat is animal flesh that is used as food. Most often, this means the skeletal muscle and associated fat and other tissues, but it may also describe other edible tissues such as organs and offal...
has always been a method to prevent against famine
Famine
A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including crop failure, overpopulation, or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompanied or followed by regional malnutrition, starvation, epidemic, and increased mortality. Every continent in the world has...
, but has also acquired a political and economic dimension in the growth of the human population. In developed countries, this conservation depends largely upon the food industry
Food industry
The food production is a complex, global collective of diverse businesses that together supply much of the food energy consumed by the world population...
rather than individuals. For lesser-developed countries, the Food and Agriculture Organization
Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
considers the absence of meat preservation techniques would present a serious obstacle to the development of viable meat production by resource-poor rural livestock producers.