No abstract

Meat and meat products are very sensitive to microbial spoilage, which significantly reduces their shelf-life and causes serious health risks to the consumers. Burger-like products, which are produced from minced meat, are particularly good media for microorganisms due to the cell disruption, increase of surface area, free water content, and favorable pH. The growth of undesirable bacteria may increase the risk of food-borne diseases and accelerate the oxidation of pigments and lipids; the latter changes lead to the discoloration and formation of off-flavors, gas, and slime of meat products. Various treatments and antimicrobial agents are used for inhibiting microbial growth including synthetic preservatives (Aymerich