Effects of Storage Time on Some Characteristics of Packed Camel Meat in Low Temperature

The objective of this research was to determine the effects storage time on chemical, physical and microbial characteristics camel meat. In this study longissiums muscles of camel meat were excised and stored at 4±1oC. pH, DL, WHC, shear force values, microbial contamination and sensory Characteristics were determined. The study also indicated that time storage had no significant effect (p>0.05) on pH with samples stored at 4±1oC. shear force increased over time but not significantly (p<0.05). Total Plate Counts (TPC), Pseudomonas sp., and yeasts and molds significantly increased with time. After 14 days, Total viable counts for packed camel meat reached about 7 log cfu g. DL increased over time while WHC decreased during storage. In summary, packaging of fresh camel meat accompanied by refrigeration storage enhanced product shelf life for 12 days without undesirable and detrimental effects on its sensory acceptability.