CarnPremium – Preservation strategies for high sensory and consumer-safe pork and beef meat through maturation

Catalonia has established itself as one of the largest production centres in Europe, with the meat industry being the main agri-food sector with a turnover of more than €10,000 million. This sector is in constant transformation to adapt to new consumer tastes and trends through food technology and the expansion of gourmet products. This is precisely the starting point of this task force, during which the aim is to work on the production of meat with differentiated sensory characteristics (Premium Meat) mainly in terms of smell and flavour.

The main objective of the project is to identify a preservation strategy for pork and beef in order to obtain a differentiated flavour that meets the preferences of gourmet consumers.

The project will work with pork and beef, two of the species with the highest production volume in Catalonia, which will be subjected to maturation protocols to achieve a differentiated aromatic profile. To this end, environmental conditions, the maturation method (vacuum or dry), microbiological factors and the raw material will be taken into account.

In addition, the project aims to study the growth and survival of Listeria monocytogenes on the surface of ripened pieces, and will explore strategies to minimise surface microbial growth during dry ripening.

Action of the Strategic Plan of the PAC 2023-2027 co-financed by: