OXICOOK, a project aiming to reduce food waste of sliced cooked meat products displayed on shelves

Food waste does not always begin when a product expires. It often starts much earlier, on retail shelves, when food that is still fit for consumption is removed because it “does not look good enough.” In the case of packaged sliced cooked meat products, colour is a decisive factor: slight discoloration may be enough for consumers to reject the product, generating economic, food and environmental losses.

With this starting point, OXICOOK was created as an innovative pilot project currently under development, working to understand —and minimise— the causes that lead to colour loss in sliced cooked meat products during distribution and retail display.

— A complex problem that goes beyond the product

The discoloration of cooked meat products is not due to a single cause. It is the result of a combination of factors that interact throughout the entire value chain: from product formulation and processing, to the packaging system, the presence of residual oxygen inside the pack, the type of material used, the gas-to-product ratio, the cold chain and, finally, lighting at points of sale, currently based on LED systems.

OXICOOK is based on scientific knowledge with a comprehensive approach to address this complexity. The project analyses how light and oxygen interact with the pigment responsible for the characteristic pink colour of cooked meat products, and how small imbalances can accelerate photo-oxidation processes that damage the product’s appearance and lead to its rejection.

— At what stage is the project?

Currently, the innovative pilot project OXICOOK is immersed in its development phase, focused on:

• The study of critical parameters during packaging that influence colour stability throughout commercial shelf life under simulated retail conditions.
• The evaluation of combined formulation strategies (ingredients with antioxidant potential and bioprotective cultures), packaging (materials, parameters and technologies) and shelf display conditions to improve the stability of the packaged product.
• The generation of applicable and scalable knowledge for the meat and packaging industries.

All this work is carried out without losing sight of a key objective: to reduce food waste without compromising shelf life or the organoleptic characteristics of sliced cooked meat products.

— Results achieved so far

The results obtained so far confirm that the discoloration of sliced cooked meat products is caused by the combination of sufficient levels of residual oxygen and shelf light intensity. Given that opaque packaging, which would be a good solution to the problem, is not the preferred option in the Spanish market, the project has identified strategies to minimise discoloration, such as reducing residual oxygen through improved vacuum levels, optimising slice positioning and the gas-to-product ratio, as well as developing packaging materials with specific filters for wavelengths within the visible light spectrum. Possible solutions based on oxygen scavengers and ingredients that improve colour stability are also being studied, with the aim of reducing food waste without affecting product acceptance.

— A strategic alliance across the entire value chain

One of OXICOOK’s greatest strengths is its collaborative nature. The project is driven by a multisectoral consortium that brings together companies producing cooked meat products, manufacturers of packaging materials and machinery, retail companies, research centres and sectoral entities.

The Operational Group carrying out this innovative pilot project is led by CARINSA and coordinated by the Packaging Cluster, and includes the participation of La Selva, Monells and NOEL as beneficiary members; Enplater, TPL, Kao Chimigraf, ULMA, Bonpreu Esclat and Ametller Origen as non-beneficiary members; as well as the participation of IRTA as a research centre; and the collaboration of MULTIVAC, FECIC and Hispack in transfer and communication tasks.

This shared vision makes it possible to address the challenge of food waste from every possible angle, generating solutions with real impact and potential for replication in other products and sectors.

The innovative pilot project is co-financed by the European Union, as it is an operational group of the European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability (EIP-Agri), with grants promoted by the Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of the Generalitat de Catalunya.

Towards more robust products and more efficient distribution: OXICOOK advances with the ambition of contributing to a more efficient, sustainable and responsible food model, where technological innovation and industrial collaboration help reduce avoidable losses and improve the use of resources.