Recent Advances in Muscle Food Processing, Preservation Methods and Analytical Techniques

Dear Colleagues,

Muscle foods such as fish and other seafood, meat, and meat products are important dietary components due to their richness in proteins and other nutritional substances, including omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. However, it is well established that such foods are highly perishable and have limited shelf life unless adequate processing and/or preservation techniques are employed. The high perishability of muscle foods along with their heterogeneity, in terms of chemical composition and physical characteristics, make it challenging to preserve and evaluate their quality during processing and storage.

Various conventional processing and preservation techniques (e.g., thermal processing, freezing, smoking, salting, fermentation) have been widely applied to maintain the quality and extend the shelf life of muscle food products. Nevertheless, intensive processing and severe preservation conditions can provoke negative changes in the sensory and nutritional properties of foods. Novel thermal and non-thermal processing and preservation technologies have been developed in recent years to meet the increased interest of consumers in less-processed, healthier, fresher, and more authentic food products. Additionally, a wide range of traditional assessment techniques (e.g., sensory, microbiological analysis, and physico-chemical methodologies) have been extensively applied in order to assess the quality and authenticity of muscle foods. Most of these techniques are destructive and time-consuming, thereby making them unsuitable for real-time measurements in industrial applications. Over the last few years, more and more intention is being focused on modern analytical methods, including among others spectroscopic techniques (Vis/NIR, HSI, MIR, NMR, fluorescence, Raman, etc.) that can be used for the rapid, on-line, and non-destructive evaluation of food quality and authenticity.

This Special Issue “Recent Advances in Muscle Food Processing, Preservation Methods and Analytical Techniques” will focus on the latest research and developments in processing/preservation (conventional and emerging methods) and analytical methodologies (both traditional and innovative techniques). The ultimate goal is to contribute to healthier and safer muscle foods with extended shelf life and improved sensory and nutritional quality, as well as the better exploitation of raw materials and reduced food losses.

Dr. Abderrahmane AIT KADDOUR
Dr. Abdo Hassoun
Guest Editors

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• analysis
• authentication
• emerging processing techniques
• spectroscopy
• storage
• seafood
• fish
• meat
• quality
• shelf life
• new preservation methods
• on-line inspection