Determination of sensory properties and levels of trace elements during storage of canned meat products

• Published in: Journal of food processing and preservation 2021-03, Vol.45 (3), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Stojanović, Branislav, Vasilev, Dragan, Stojanović, Zdenka, Parunović, Nenad, Janković, Saša, Stanojević, Slavoljub, Balaban, Milica, Antić, Vesna
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0145-8892; 1745-4549
• DOI: 10.1111/jfpp.15278

The aim of this work was to determine the sensory properties of beef goulash (BG), pork ragout (PR), spam (SP), liver pate (LP), and meatballs in tomato sauce (MB), produced by military recipes, and stored up to 6 years in tinplate cans. Dependence of the sensory properties on the storage period and on some trace elements content (Fe, Zn, Cu, Cr, Mn, Se, and Sn) was determined. Concentration of trace elements, measured by ICP‐MS, was below the current allowable values, except for iron. Several samples showed Fe levels above the local legal limit of 30 mg/kg, with the mean values from 11.2 ± 1.4 mg/kg in PR to 40.9 ± 6.3 mg/kg in LP. The content of Sn increased with the length of storage, reaching a maximum of 4.82 mg/kg. Samples with a high concentration of Fe showed the lowest scores for sensory evaluation, with a pronounced metallic taste. Practical applications It has been shown that a connection can be established between the concentration of some trace elements, such as iron, and the sensory properties of canned meat products. In addition to storage time, sensory assessments of canned meat depend on other parameters, such as the quality of cans and raw materials, which need to be continuously examined to provide consumers with safe products. Monitoring the concentration of trace elements is very important for planning a safe and healthy diet for members of the Serbian Army, because trace elements are necessary in small quantities, while an increased level can be very harmful.