Natural preservative for chilled meat

KOCHI: Foreign consumers are increasingly turning to a natural shelf-life extender for chilled meat products developed by a Kerala company, discarding synthetic preservatives containing nitrates which can generate carcinogenic nitrosamines. Branded as X-tend, it is now increasingly used by meat industry for storing the ready-to-use meat products developed by Aluva-based Arjuna Natural Extracts and recently introduced in the Indian market. “We conducted many bench trials to measure how X-tend perform in chilled meat preservation. The excellent result encouraged us to offer the new natural preservative formulation to meat processors,” said Benny Antony, joint managing director of Arjuna.

X-tend which has spice oils and oleoresins as its main component, is now being exported to France and Thailand while talks for approval are on with Italy.   “The product which can also be used for preserving bread and cake is tailor made. Composition of X-tend is different for various food products. Research is on to develop natural preservative for fruit juices, which is a big market, where sodium benzoate is commonly used,” added the company official. The X-tend preservative provides a natural solution for various problems typically found in chilled meat products such as microbial spoilage, oxidative decaying, short shelf life, colour change and altered flavour.

It preserves natural colour, freshness and extends the meat shelf life by up to 15 days. The preservative, available in both liquid and powder forms, is safe to use and can prevent the growth of yeast in chilled meat products. Replacing chemical preservatives with the natural product will considerably reduce the health hazards, according to medical experts. Natural preservatives will address the three major components of the food industry such as natural, clean and safe.