When meat products are sold, shelf life is an important competitive element. Shelf life depends on several factors, of which the most important are production hygiene and storage temperature, as well as the amount of preservation in the meat product—i.e., pH, salt, nitrite, and organic acids. When determining shelf life, it is important to consider how the growth of both spoilage organisms and pathogenic bacteria can be prevented while at the same time keeping a keen eye on the sensory quality of the product.
The growth of pathogenic bacteria can be estimated by mathematical models available on the web—i.e., ComBase’s www.combase.cc or the DMRI’s www.dmripredict.dk. These models can easily establish how much preservation should be added to a product to prevent the growth of various pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes and Clostridium botulinum, during the desired shelf life at a given temperature.