Evaluation of the Potential for Sous-Vide Processing in the Red Meat Industry

Summary

Background
A widely accepted definition of the sous vide process is that which was put forward by the Sous Vide Advisory Committee (SVAC).
 “sous vide is an interrupted catering system in which raw or par cooked food is vacuum sealed in a laminated plastic pouch or container, heat treated by controlled cooking and then reheated for service after a period of chilled storage”.
For red meat products the cooking process is typically based on a Low Temperature - Long Time (LT-LT) relationship. Essentially, the sous vide process consists of vacuum packaging, pasteurisation, rapid chilling, cold storage, and finally, finishing for service.
Research
This project was a scoping level study that covereds a range of issues associated with sous-vide processing. The objective of the work was to review existing technologies for the processing of sous-vide red meat products, identify potential markets and provide a report that identified where there was potential for the use of sous-vide processing to develop products that would add value to products for the red meat industry.