Deterioration of dehydrated meat during storage. I.—Non‐enzymic deterioration in absence of oxygen at tropical temperatures

Abstract

The deterioration in quality of dehydrated precooked pork which takes place during storage even in absence of oxygen would appear to be due to a typical carbonyl‐amino browning reaction. The effects of moisture content and temperature on the changes have been studied. The reactive sugar fraction in meat consists mainly of free glucose and glucose‐6‐phosphate. Although the sugar fraction produces a brown discoloration by reaction with either the protein fraction or non‐protein soluble fraction, the characteristic bitter, burnt flavours of stored dehydrated meat are produced only by reaction with the non‐protein fraction.The reaction can be inhibited entirely by storage in nitrogen containing 500 p.p.m. of sulphur dioxide or by removal of the reducing sugar and glucose‐6‐phosphate by fermentation with high concentrations of yeast. Partial inhibition is achieved by fermentation of the free sugars only, by lower concentrations of yeast or by oxidation of the free glucose only, by glucose oxidase.