Food Hygiene and Shelf Life

The role of proteins, especially animal proteins, is extremely important in maintaining health, the natural growth of organs, and the function of the human immune system. However, it should be noted that many diseases common to humans and livestock, as well as acute food poisonings, can be transmitted to humans through the consumption of red meat, fish, and poultry. One of the ways to identify healthy and hygienic meat is to pay attention to certain visual characteristics, which are noted below. Visual characteristics of red meat The color of the meat should be bright red and must not be dark. A change in color from red to green, brown, gray, or black is a sign of spoiled meat. A slimy, sticky layer on the meat is also a sign of spoilage. The outer surface of the meat should not be damp or wet. No abnormal odor, such as a sour or putrid smell, should be detectable. The presence of an abnormal odor at the point where the meat connects to the bone is a sign of deep spoilage. Bruising, mold, and foreign particles should not be visible in the meat. The meat should not be excessively firm, soft, or slimy. The meat should not be dry and shriveled. Organs such as the liver should not show soft swelling, abnormal consistency, cysts, or an abnormal color or smell. Meat should not be hung outside the shop in the open air. The amount of meat in a shop should be proportionate to the capacity of the available refrigerators. Meat must bear a veterinary health stamp and must be sourced from authorized slaughterhouses. Packaged meat can be stored and consumed according to the expiration date printed on it. Pre-ground meat must under no circumstances be kept in the shop; it should be ground only at the customer's request and in front of them. Frozen meat should be free of any excess trimmings and fat. There should be no signs of freezer burn from the freezing process visible on the meat. There should be no blood serum or frozen water inside the meat packaging. Frozen meat must be kept in refrigerators at a temperature of 18 degrees Celsius below zero until use. Keeping, selling, and consuming any non-edible animal by-products such as testicles, lymph glands, etc., is prohibited. Characteristics of healthy and hygienic chicken Chicken meat should have natural firmness and consistency, and its appearance should indicate health and freshness. In fresh, healthy chicken, the color of the leg muscles is a bright reddish hue and the breast is a bright yellowish hue. The skin should be stretched uniformly over the body, without any tears, swelling, bruising, discoloration, or scratches. Chicken meat should not be moldy (colored spots), and no abnormal odor such as a sour or putrid smell should be detectable. The chicken must be fully plucked and free of foreign particles or feathers. At the time of purchase, the chicken carcass should be without entrails and have an empty cavity. Fresh chicken should be stored in a refrigerator at a temperature of 0 to 2 degrees Celsius, and frozen chicken should be stored in a freezer at minus 18 degrees Celsius. The chicken packaging must show the complete details and name of the slaughterhouse, the date of production, and the use-by date. Buy cut chicken pieces (legs and breast) and packaged offal (heart, liver, and gizzard) that bear an identification label (the name and address of the producing company, with a clear date and expiration). Note: In case of a change in smell or the onset of spoilage, the best place to inspect is the inner area where the wing connects to the body; in the early stages of spoilage, this can be detected by cutting and smelling this area. (In the belly area of poultry, if fresh it is transparent, white, or yellow in color; if it is green or blue, its freshness should be doubted.) Visual characteristics and criteria for determining the freshness of shrimp Shrimp is sensitive to spoilage and, if highly contaminated, will spoil in a short time. Since all of the shrimp's digestive organs are located in the head area, the spoilage process begins at the point where the head connects to the body. Characteristics of healthy and hygienic eggs 1 / Egg packaging must bear the name and address of the producing company, and the production and expiration dates. 2 / Storing eggs at a temperature above 15 degrees Celsius is not permitted; in hot seasons they must be kept in the refrigerator and away from sunlight. 3 / A fresh egg has a small air cell, thick egg white, and a fully round, spherical yolk in the center. 4 / If a fresh, healthy egg is placed in a 9-per-thousand salt solution (9 grams of salt in one liter of water), it should sink under the water. 5/ The eggshell should be free of cracks and breaks. 6/ A good, premium egg should be oval in shape and weigh between 55 and 60 grams. 7/ The egg should be free of any unpleasant or abnormal odor. Characteristics of other healthy and hygienic foods • Milk Healthy: pleasant taste, delicious, slightly sweet, yellowish-white, slightly thick. Spoiled: sour-tasting, separating into curds when boiled. • Cream Healthy: yellowish-white, smooth and thick, good-tasting and good-smelling, slightly sweet. Spoiled: presence of air bubbles, a somewhat sour taste. • Cheese Healthy: pleasant taste, its own characteristic smell, yellowish-white. Spoiled: a pungent ammonia smell, a change in taste. • Butter Healthy: good-smelling, good-tasting. Spoiled: discoloration, unpleasant smell, and a sharp taste. • Liver Healthy: a clear, uniform surface, without spots, a fine red color, without holes or cavities. Spoiled: yellow pieces of fat, an unpleasant smell, a dark or yellow color. Food storage: There are various methods for storing food, one of the simplest and oldest being the use of cold. Compared with other storage methods, this method changes the quality of the food (taste, smell, texture, and nutritional value) to a lesser degree.