Meat and Meat Products: Science, Quality, Preservation, and Processing. Scientific Book

Résumé

This scientific book provides a structured introduction to meat and meat products, with a strong focus on science, quality, preservation, and processing. It begins by defining the meat production chain, from slaughter animals and carcasses to fresh meat, offal, cuts, processed products, and canned meats. The book then explains the anatomical and biochemical structure of meat, including muscle fibers, myofibrils, sarcomeres, actin, myosin, collagen, elastin, and their influence on tenderness, color, water retention, and technological behavior. Subsequent chapters describe post-mortem changes such as glycolysis, pH decline, rigor mortis, aging, and tenderization. The work also classifies meat by animal origin, color, anatomical category, nutritional use, and processing method. A large part is devoted to technological, nutritional, sensory, and hygienic quality, including microbial contamination, spoilage, oxidation, cold chain control, HACCP, and food safety management. The final chapters examine preservation methods, packaging, curing, smoking, freezing, heat treatment, processed meats, canned products, sustainability, traceability, and emerging technologies. Clear, and technical in tone, this scientific book is especially useful for professionals in food science, meat technology, microbiology, and quality control.