AN EFFECT OF THE ELECTROMAGNETIC TREATMENT ON OXIDATIVE STABILITY AND MICROBIOLOGICAL SAFETY OF MEAT SEMI-PREPARED PRODUCTS

The paper demonstrates that the use of the electromagnetic treatment based on an impact of the electromagnetic field (EMF) of the self-generating (SG) discharge increases the antioxidant activity (AOA) of beef and pork semi-prepared products in pieces. The semi-prepared products were treated using the experimental equipment that consisted of the plasma electromagnetic generator based on the self-generating (SG) discharge for generating strong electromagnetic oscillations. It was found that in the experimental samples subjected to the electromagnetic treatment, an amount of reduced glutathione, which determines the redox characteristics of the intracellular environment, and glutathione peroxidase, which protects an organism against oxidative damage, increased almost two-fold. These results suggest that the excessive development of free radicals was leveled, in particular, due to the regeneration of many cytosolic low weight molecular antioxidants. Moreover, lower level of malon dialdehyde, which characterizes lipid peroxidation, was detected in the treated semi-prepared products from beef and pork (by 10% and 2.5%, respectively,) compared to the control. The results of the study showed that an impact of the SG discharge contributed to a decrease in the microbial growth rate in the chilled semi-prepared products during storage. For example, on the 6th day, the number of mesophilic aerobic and facultative anaerobic microorganisms (QМАFАnМ)did not exceed the established indicator, which correlated with the results of the organoleptic investigations. It was found that the electromagnetic treatment did not have a significant effect on the in vitro digestibility of the semi-prepared products; that is, it did not lead to deterioration of their biological value. The performed research allows us to suggest that the use of the SG discharge is expedient for increasing shelf life of meat semi-prepared products in pieces and developing a new ecologically pure technology for meat product storage..