According to a new assessment, there is lots of room in the camel meat business for improved packing, processing, and preservation procedures to improve meat quality, customer acceptance, and exports.
Camel meat is an ethnic cuisine enjoyed in the desert parts of the Middle East and North-East Africa, and its nutritional profile suggests that it might be a viable alternative red meat for human consumption globally.
Current approaches, including as ageing, low-temperature storage, and antioxidant pre-treatment, have been applied by researchers in India and the UAE to increase the quality and shelf life of camel meat.
“There is very limited information known concerning the application of innovative pretreatments, packaging, and processing procedures that might increase consumer acceptance of camel meat,” they stated in the Journal of Ethnic Foods.
Researchers examined the nutritional makeup of camel meat as well as different technical interventions such as packing, pre-treatment, and processing in this review, which was conducted using research papers collected from online sources such as PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar.
Camel meat is nutritionally equivalent to traditional meat sources, however it has a nutritional advantage over beef or lamb because to its low intramuscular fat, low cholesterol concentration, and high protein and iron content.
Camel meat is an ideal food source, particularly for poor nations, due to its robust habit of living in difficult environments and high carcass output.
Camel meat has always been used for its medicinal advantages in Chinese and nomadic traditional medicine.
Despite its nutritional and health benefits, camel meat has yet to establish an organised market, which might be attributed to a lack of knowledge about its nutritional potential as well as a lack of information on techniques for enhancing its overall quality. “This study will be useful for researchers and will highlight the potential for worldwide adoption of camel meat as an alternate source of red meat,” the researchers said.
Packaging
Cling wrap is now the most popular method of packaging for camel meat. There is very little information on innovative packaging methods as an intervention for increasing the shelf life of camel meat.
Vacuum packing was discovered as a feasible method for avoiding protein breakdown, lipid oxidation, and restricting microbial growth by researchers.
They also proposed active packaging, a unique approach utilised in some meats. Other experiments found that active packaging films based on nanomontmorillonite-chitosan and nanomontmorillonite-carboxymethyl cellulose loaded with varying quantities of Ziziphora clinopodioides essential oil improved the overall quality of minced beef samples.
There is also potential for the use of different bio-preservation techniques, such as refrigeration and modified atmospheric packaging (MAP), as well as the use of nisin, to extend the shelf life of camel meat without compromising the sensory characteristics.
“Studies focused toward the creation of appropriate packaging for camel meat are required for shelf-life extension, which will enhance camel meat export to areas where camels are not grown,” researchers stated.
Processing
Camel meat is currently processed using a number of processes, one of which is ageing at low temperatures, which increases muscle softness and camel meat quality.
Low-temperature storage is another way for reducing microorganisms in meat.
Fermentation, according to the researchers, is another promising approach for increasing the nutritional content and shelf life of camel meat. It is a natural procedure that has already been utilised in various forms of meat, with strains such as Lactobacillus sakei, Staphylococcus xylosus, and S. carnosus being used safely in meat products.
Camel sausages fermented with L. paracasei exhibited enhanced physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory characteristics in one research. The microbial starting culture’s production of diverse catabolic products from carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins was linked to improvements in flavour, texture, and general acceptability of the sausages, while lactic acid produced by the lactic bacteria was claimed to increase colour.
Preservation
Various pre-treatments have been found to improve meat quality and shelf-life by decreasing microbial load, lipid oxidation, and increasing colour retention in meats. Antioxidants and plant extracts are currently being used to increase sensory qualities and to have an antibacterial impact.
Curing is also a popular pre-treatment for meat, particularly sausages. It entails the addition of nitrates and nitrites to help maintain colour, improve flavour, and inhibit microbial development.
“Further study should be aimed toward the implementation of novel processing and preservation technologies for the production of various goods with greater customer acceptability,” the researchers said.
Nutritional profile
The research also looked at the nutritional quality of camel meat, which varied depending on age, breed, and muscle type.
Due to softness and colour, it was discovered that the flesh of younger camels is typically favoured over the meat of older animals.
Older camels were also found to have greater levels of cholesterol and fat in their muscles.
Because camel meat has a low fat and cholesterol content, its nutritional profile and health advantages can be used as a marketing technique to increase consumer acceptability, particularly among health-conscious customers.
The United Arab Emirates University supported this study.