APPLIED HISTOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL ANALYSIS FOR QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF MEAT AND MEAT PRODUCTS : REVIEW

Meat and meat products are an important source of protein, vitamins, and minerals in the human diet. In order to improve the overall quality of foods and increase their shelf life, meat products are usually made from processed red meat and preservatives, such as nitrates. Histologically, the meat is composed of skeletal striated muscle fibres, water, adipose, and connective tissue. Histological investigation allows the identification of tissue structures in meat products and to some extent of the unauthorized content of plant and animal origin. For this reason, the histological examination was adopted in some developed countries as a complementary method of assessing the integrity of the products. The histological examination provides concrete images regarding the morphological integrity of the tissues in the composition of the meat. Chemical examination methods are commonly used to assess the quality of meat and meat products and to determine their content in proteins, fats, fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. This brief review will present the benefits of using histological examination and physico-chemical determinations in analysing the composition and integrity of meat and meat products.