Sustainable vacuum packaging material influences the fatty acid composition and oxidative stability of chilled lamb meat stored for up to 20 weeks

The effects of storage period and packaging type on lamb meat fatty acids and oxidative stability biomarkers were investigated using 384 longissimus lumborum muscles (LL) and an 8 $\times$ 4 factorial experiment design. This included main effects of chilled storage periods (Week 0, 1, 2, 6, 10, 14, 18, and 20), packaging types (PACK 1, Eco-tite® Recycle Ready Shrink Bag; PACK 2, Cryovac® Barrier Shrink Bag; PACK 3, a foil pouch; and PACK 4, Biovac™ Recyclable Vacuum Pouch), and their interaction. It was found that lamb meat held under PACK 3 had generally higher concentrations of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Monounsaturated fatty acids were affected, but to a lesser extent, by the selection of packaging type. The concentration of some individual fatty acids changed with long-term chilled storage, with most change occurring between Week 6 and 18. The fatty acid indices and EPA + DHA confirmed that lamb meat supported health outcomes, associated with fatty acid consumption, irrespective of storage period or packaging type. Alpha-tocopherol concentrations generally increased, and carbonyl content generally decreased with storage period, although TBARS and FRAP remained consistent across the entire 20 week storage period. Collectively, these findings support a longer shelf-life for chilled lamb meat, possibly beyond the 10–12 weeks previously recommended in the literature.