Several years ago it became apparent to me that there was a need for an allin-
one book about meat processing which clearly outlined the parameters to
be considered during the various steps of processing. However, in order to
understand processing properly, the basic principles of meat science and the
composition and function of additives have to be understood first. Therefore
these would have to be covered in detail in the book as well.
The purpose of this book is to give clear and helpful guidelines to
professionals within the meat-processing industry, such as technical, production,
quality control and research and development managers. Butchers handling
meat and meat products on a daily basis will also greatly benefit from it, as
will undergraduate and postgraduate students, who will, I hope, find the
book an invaluable tool for their studies.
Having worked all over the world in the meat-processing industry,
conducting seminars for customers as well as lecturing at a university, I was
often asked about the availability of such an all-in-one book. Books available
today focus either on meat science or on manufacturing at various levels of
detail but not on both at the same time. As such, this book combines a
scientific and yet still hands-on approach and covers all three major aspects
of meat technology. These are the raw materials themselves, the ‘world’ of
additives and, finally, the technologies used to combine them. Microbiology
related to meat and meat products is also discussed as it plays an integral role
in the production process and in the safety and shelf life of meat and meat
products.