Subscribe on iTunes | SoundCloud
Episode Transcription
Welcome to Food Safety in a Minute.
Increasingly popular among consumers, plant-based meat alternatives have similar texture, mouthfeel, and taste to beef. Using high pressure and high heat, a moist flour-like mixture of plant-based protein and ingredients are extruded, pushed through an opening producing a fibrous, meat-like structure. Processing time along with high temperatures are key factors in reducing microorganisms in the final product. This produces a safe product for you while extending refrigerated shelf life.
Companies follow processing standards to prevent and limit the growth of harmful microorganisms during manufacturing and storage. Once produced, plant-based meat alternatives are perishable foods; refrigerated like ground beef, at 40 degrees F or below.
This is Susie Craig from Food Safety in a Minute.
Resources
Jane M. Caldwell. How Safe Are Plant-Based Meat Alternatives? Food Technology Magazine. 2/1/2021.
Tara McHugh. How Plant-Based Meat and Seafood Are Processed. Food Technology Magazine.
10/1/2019.