Shelf life of semi-finished meat products

Storage of semi-finished meat products is recommended at temperatures up to +6 degrees. Expiration dates are set by the manufacturer. They may differ depending on the type of raw materials, processing method, manufacturing conditions and packaging. Most often, the shelf life of refrigerated products is 1-2 days, frozen - 6 months.

Storage periods and rules

Meat and semi-finished meat products are a particularly perishable product. In heat, bacteria develop very quickly. In addition to bacterial ones, enzymatic processes occur that develop under the influence of organic enzymes responsible for decay. At a certain temperature, decomposition (“self-digestion”, tanning) accelerates. Cold does not stop enzymatic processes; they do not stop even when frozen, down to -30°C.

Properly store semi-finished meat products at temperatures up to +6 degrees. For home storage, it is recommended to use the coldest shelves of the refrigerator (lower or upper, depending on the model).

How long are semi-finished meat products stored on average?

Storage rules:

1. Lump semi-finished products with characteristics characteristic of good-quality meat, not weathered, are allowed for storage. The quality of raw materials is established in accordance with GOST 7269-2015. The meat must be fresh and unspoiled. There must be a light reddish or pinkish drying crust on the surface (for defrosted products it is red). The smell of a fresh product is specific, characteristic of the type of meat.
2. For the production of semi-finished products, carcasses, half-carcasses and quarters that have undergone post-mortem processing are used. They should be clean and free of blood clots or bruises. On carcasses, stripping and tearing of subcutaneous fat within 10-15% of the entire area is acceptable.
3. Packaged products must not be repackaged or repackaged after the original manufacturer's packaging has been opened or damaged in food distribution facilities to set different periods of use.
4. Depending on the type of semi-finished product, it is recommended to lay it in one row, at an angle, in a layer of a certain thickness.
5. After opening the package for sale, semi-finished meat products must be sold within 12 hours.
6. For storage, special refrigeration or freezing equipment is required: cabinets, display cases, larins, islands that maintain the required temperature, humidity and air circulation.

Hygienic storage requirements (expiration dates, conditions) are described in detail in SanPiN 2.3.2.1324-03.

Lumpy

The category includes packaged meat and portioned parts: tenderloin, natural steak, rump steak, beef, lamb, braised pork, entrecote, schnitzel without breading. This is meat pulp or layer weighing 1.5-2.5 kg, removed from a certain part of the carcass. They are cleaned of hard surface films and tendons.

For storage they are placed on baking sheets in one row. Shelf life – up to 48 hours, provided the temperature is maintained at +2…+6 degrees.

Small pieces

Goulash, frying, beef for stewing, special roast, cold cuts, preparations for shish kebab and other small-sized semi-finished meat products should be stored 5 cm thick. Shelf life:

• up to 24 hours when marinating, using sauces;
• up to 36 hours prepared in its pure form.

Portioned

Semi-finished meat products in portions - natural pork and lamb cutlets, rump steak, breaded schnitzel. To prepare the meat, it is cut across the grain.

Store the products on the edge in one layer. Shelf life:

• natural semi-finished products – up to 36 hours;
• breaded – up to 24 hours.

Chopped

This includes molded preparations, including breaded, mixed (meat and potato, meat and cabbage, meat and vegetable cutlets, with the addition of soy protein). Minced semi-finished meat products must be of the correct shape and the breading must be uniform. When cut, the mass is homogeneous, with the aroma of benign meat.Products with torn edges, broken, or other signs of damage cannot be stored.

Shelf life – 24 hours.

To store products made from cutlet mass, the baking sheet is sprinkled with breading. They are placed in a row. Storage duration at t +6...+8 degrees is up to 12 hours. Fried meatballs, schnitzels, and steaks made from minced raw materials should be stored for no longer than 1 day.

Stuffed with meat

The range of culinary semi-finished meat products is practically unlimited. An experienced chef can prepare an unlimited number of dishes, having a variety of food raw materials. The meat industry mass-produces semi-finished products stuffed with meat. The most famous example is cabbage rolls and peppers.

According to Appendix 1 SanPiN 2.3.2.1324-03:

• dumplings, pilaf, belyashi, pies, pancakes stuffed with meat should be stored for no more than 1 day;
• hamburgers, prepared sandwiches – 1 day;
• jellied meats, brawns – 12 hours.

Features of beef storage

Fresh, good-quality beef is suitable for storage.

Chilled beef is covered with a drying crust of light red color. When cut, slightly moist, but not sticky, red in color. When pressed with a finger, it quickly restores its shape. The juice is clear and has a characteristic smell. It is correct to determine it at the site of the cut and in the thickness of the muscles near the bone, since these areas deteriorate faster. Beef fat is normally hard, white or yellow, crumbles when crushed, and has a characteristic, non-rancid odor.

Fresh frozen beef is brighter in color than chilled beef. At the cut, the fabric is reddish-gray due to ice crystals. Upon contact with heat, a deep red stain is formed. The semi-finished product is hard, if you knock, the sound is clear. The fat should be white or light yellow.Frozen beef does not smell; when defrosted, it acquires its characteristic smell, but without the aroma of ripened beef. To determine the smell, you need to insert a heated knife into the bone.

According to TU 9214-345-00419779-06, semi-finished beef products can be stored:

Portioned, sauced and small-piece semi-finished beef products in a vacuum can be stored for up to 10 days at a temperature of -2...-1 degrees, without a vacuum at the same temperature - 3 days. Products packaged under modified atmosphere conditions in multilayer packaging made of polymer film are stored for up to 15 days at t +2…+6 °C.

Question answer

How to preserve for a long time without losing taste?

For long-term storage of supplies, high-tech freezing is carried out in packaged form between aluminum plates or in a hurricane of frosty air. In the first case, semi-finished products are clamped between plates, t up to -30°C. Complete freezing is observed within 2-5 hours or faster. Semi-finished meat products frozen in this way retain their natural taste. The tissues remain intact with the rapid formation of small ice crystals, the shells do not loosen. Thus, for long-term storage, you should buy semi-finished products that have been frozen using new techniques.

How long should it be stored at room temperature?

Semi-finished meat products can be in the room for no more than 2-3 hours.

How to determine what is stale?

The product is stale if the meat on top is wet in places, darkened, or sticky. Other signs: the muscles in the section are sticky, too dark, if you apply paper, they leave marks. In stale, defrosted semi-finished products, cloudy juice flows out of the cut. The consistency becomes less dense and elastic, the smell is sour, musty. The fat turns gray, becomes dull, and may be loose. The tendons stop shining, they are not as dense as those of a fresh product, the surface of the joints is covered in mucus.

Semi-finished meat products quickly deteriorate and must be stored at low temperatures or frozen. Open storage and contact with air is not recommended. Moisture evaporates, the upper layers of semi-finished products dry out, and the taste and appearance deteriorate. Among other things, aromatic volatile substances disappear. Semi-finished products become less tasty and aromatic. Finally, oxygen promotes fat oxidation and other biochemical processes. Therefore, it is always better to store semi-finished meat products in a protective shell: vacuum packaging, cling film, etc.