Canned and Retort Pouched Meat Products
Canning as a process contributes to preservation, storage and distribution of food supplies. Production of thermally processed meat products either in cans or retort pouches extend shelf life at ambient temperature promotes distribution and marketing. Canning process involves can filling of meat products, pressing and can sealing, thermal processing to a desired Fo value, cooling and testing the cans for any defects. The retort pouches are a flexible three ply laminate composed of an outer layer of polyester film, a middle layer of aluminum foil and an inner layer of polypropylene. Meat products are filled in retort pouches and thermally processed like in conventional canning which is shelf stable. They have the combined advantages of metal can and of the boil-in-the-bag. Product processing in retort pouches is gaining popularity to a traditional canning because of its high quality and reduction in cost of production due to considerable savings in processing time and energy.