Natural Additives in Meat Products as Antioxidants and Antimicrobials

The perishable nature of meat has led to the use of various additives in the development of meat products. Specifically, its susceptibility to oxidation reactions, together with the fact that it is an excellent substrate for microbial development, has made the employment of antioxidant and antimicrobial additives essential. In this way, the quality of meat products as well as their safety can be maintained for longer, extending the shelf life of the products. Nonetheless, in recent years the use of synthetic additives in the food industry has been in the spotlight of consumers since some of these compounds have been associated with adverse health effects. In light of this situation, the search and development of new natural antioxidant and antimicrobial additives are currently mandatory for the meat industry in order to obtain healthier meat products and to be in line with consumer demand. Given that many antioxidant compounds in matrices are present in nature, this book chapter aims to propose a method for obtaining and producing bioactive antioxidant and/or antimicrobial compounds that can be used successfully in the meat industry to replace harmful synthetic additives. Thus, this document presents a detailed guide to the reader on how to extract antioxidant and/or antimicrobial compounds from natural sources through a solid–liquid extraction assisted by a pulsed electric field (PEF) and how to microencapsulate them to obtain the natural antioxidant and/or antimicrobial additive for food use. In addition, this book chapter also includes a clear and comprehensive procedure to develop a model meat product that can be easily adapted to other requirements.