Abstract
Ways to ensure the quality and safety of meat processing products are being devised at an intensive pace. To solve these tasks, various "barriers" are used: chemical, physical, microbiological, as well as their combinations. When performing this research, a critical analysis of existing "barriers" as techniques to stabilize the quality of meat products with long shelf life was carried out. It has been revealed that the main preferences of consumers are associated with natural additives that ensure the safety of products. The introduction of modern barrier technologies is a relevant issue as it could ensure the stability of quality indicators during storage. An important task is to use natural raw materials as barriers. To this end, an analysis of the antioxidant activity of extracts from various plant-based raw materials was carried out. The results make it possible to devise technologies for creating film coatings with bioprotective properties. The dynamics of changes in the microbiological contamination of large-piece semi-finished products from beef in the process of storage at different temperatures were studied. It was found that the use of film barrier coatings leads to a restraining of the growth of microflora and has a bacteriostatic effect, which helps extend the shelf life of semi-finished products compared to control samples. The implementation of this study's results could significantly prolong the shelf life of meat semi-finished products, including at positive temperatures, without the risk of microbiological spoilage and loss of quality and functional-technological characteristics.