Frozen Meat-Containing Semi-Finished Minced Products: Biopolymer Packaging Materials

Abstract

Introduction. Meat-containing semi-finished minced products demonstrate a wide variety of properties, as they contain both plant and meat components. This heterogeneity makes it difficult to plan the freezing process. In view of the current environmental situation, packaging films used for cold storage should be biodegradable. The effect of low-temperature freezing and storage on biodegradable polymers remains understudied. The research objective was to find the optimal modes for minced-meat semi-finished products frozen in a biopolymer package. Study objects and methods. The study featured zrazy, or meat balls, with vegetable filling and a biopolymer film based on corn starch. It involved a laboratory combination freezing and storage cabinet and an XLW(M) tension tester to establish the physical properties of the film. Results and discussion. The meat-containing semi-finished minced products were vacuum-packaged in biopolymer material and subjected to convection, contact, and combined freezing. The experiments resulted in a new combined method of freezing for biopolymer-packaged semi-finished meat-containing products. The research also tested the strength properties of the CornBag biopolymer film during freezing and cold storage. The paper introduces a graphoanalytic method of calculation of freezing time. Conclusion. The new combined freezing method involved vacuum packaging, air-blast subfreezing, and further freezing on a refrigerated plate. The biopolymer film proved suitable for freezing and cold storage of food products. It keeps the product from drying, reduces vitamin losses, and preserves sensory properties. The optimal storage mode was –18°C, the maximum storage time – 6 months. The improved freezing technology combined freezing method with convective air-blasting and contact freezing on a refrigerated plate for products pre-packaging in a biopolymer vacuum bag. The optimal freezing parameters: temperature = –40°С, time = 85 min, rate = 1.33 cm/h.