Natural Antioxidants and Antimicrobials in Processed Meat Products

The susceptibility of meat products to oxidation and microbial contamination poses a risk to quality and shelf life of products as well as threat to consumer health and economic losses. On the other hand use of synthetic preservatives in food products has been the subject of toxicological studies. Therefore, safety of meat products has become an increasingly important international concern and the application of natural preservatives (antioxidants and antimicrobials) that prevent/retard biochemical changes and target food spoilage/pathogenic microorganisms without adverse health effects has received great attention. To avoid auto-oxidation reactions and potential growth of spoiling and/or pathogenic microorganisms, numerous plant-derived compounds such as extracts or essential oils were investigated for their antioxidant and antimicrobial activity and organic acids and their salts and bacteriocins for antimicrobials activity in meat products. This chapter is aimed to summarize the recent approaches for the potential use of natural antioxidant and antimicrobial additives in meat products against auto-oxidation and growth of pathogens and spoilage microorganisms along with their modes of action.