Organisations looking to develop their business operations through the current volatile economic climates need to establish clear objectives as to how the various elements of the business need to perform to ensure continuing growth and viability. In order to achieve these objectives it is further imperative to have mechanisms in place to monitor performance and also to provide a process by which change can be implemented in those areas of activity which need strengthening. Total Quality

This chapter focuses on the key elements of international and national regulatory controls and associated guidance on the manufacture, storage and distribution of chilled foods. European countries in membership of EU are covered only insofar as where national legislation or guidance exists in addition to general EU rules Since chilled foods are a relatively recent

Raw material selection- fruits and Ⅴ egetables L. Bedford, Campden and Chorleywood Food Research Association 1.1 Introduction Fresh fruits and vegetables are utilised in a wide range of chilled products. They may be sold whole, or peeled (for example peeled potatoes and onions)or further prepared(e.g. carrot batons). After washing or further preparation they form ingredients for mixes such as mixed fruit or salad packs or for further

The quality of fresh meat exposed for retail sale is initially judged on its appearance. The presence of exudate or'drip', which accumulates in the container of prepackaged meat or in trays or dishes of unwrapped meat, substantially reduces its sales appeal (Malton and James, 1983). Drip can be referred to by a number of different names including purge loss',press loss'and 'thaw loss'depending on the method of measurement and when it is measured. In general, beef tends to lose proportionately more drip than pork or lamb. Since most of the exudate comes from the cut ends of muscle fibres

Whilst a number of characteristics affect the overall quality and acceptability of both fresh and frozen meats, tenderness is the major characteristic of eating quality because it determines the ease with which meat can be chewed and swallowed. The tenderness of meat is affected by both chilling/freezing and storage. Under the proper conditions, tenderness is well maintained throughout the chilled/frozen storage life, but improper chilling/freezing can produce severe toughening and meat of poor eating quality

leat for industrial processing is usually frozen in the form of carcasses, quarters or boned out primals in 25 kg cartons. Most bulk meat, consumer portions and meat products are frozen in air blast freezers. Some small ind viduals items, for example beefburgers, may be frozen in cryogenic tunnels and a small amount of offal and other meat is frozen in plate freezers. It is not unusual for meat to be frozen twice before it reaches the consumer During industrial processing frozen raw material is often thawed or tem-

Developments in frozen transport in the 19th century established the inter- national food market. In 1877, a cargo of frozen meat was sent from Buenos Aires to France. The following year 5000 frozen mutton carcasses were transported from Paraguay to France. In 1880, the SS Strathleven arrived in London with a cargo of 40 tons of frozen Australian beef, and by 1910

In general, display cabinets have to accommodate three types of meat and meat products: (1)chilled wrapped, (2) chilled unwrapped and (3)frozen wrapped products. The required display life and consequent environmental conditions for wrapped chilled products differ from those for unwrapped products. The desired chilled display life for wrapped meat and meat prod- ucts ranges from a few days to many weeks and is primarily limited by microbiological considerations. Retailers of unwrapped meat and deli

Thermophysical properties of meat In chilling, freezing, thawing and tempering processes heat has either to be introduced or to be extracted from the meat to change its temperature The rate at which heat can be removed or introduced into the surface of meat is essentially a function of the process being used, for example air blast, plate, immersion, and so on. However, the rate at which heat can flow from within the meat to its surface is a function of the thermophysical prop- erties of the meat. If we continue to

In specifying refrigeration equipment the function of the equipment must be absolutely clear. Refrigeration equipment is always used to control tem- perature. Either the meat passing through the process is to be maintained it its initial temperature, for example as in a refrigerated store or a packing operation, or the temperature of the meat is to be reduced, for example in a blast freezer. These two functions