Shelf life of fresh meat products under LED or fluorescent lighting

• Two lighting types were evaluated for effects on shelf-life of fresh meat.
• LED lighting facilitates colder case and product temperatures.
• Cases with LED lighting had 40.6% fewer compressor run cycles/h.
• LED lighting extends beef longissimus dorsi, semimembranosus steak and ground beef color life by 0.5 to 1.0 d.
• LED lighting has minimal effects on factors that cause meat color to deteriorate.

Enhanced pork loin chops, beef longissimus lumborum steaks, semimembranosus steaks (superficial and deep portions), ground beef, and ground turkey were displayed under light emitting diode (LED) and fluorescent (FLS) lighting in two multi-shelf, retail display cases with identical operating parameters. Visual and instrumental color, internal product temperature, case temperature, case cycling, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and Enterobacteriaceae and aerobic plate counts were evaluated. Under LED, beef products (except the deep portion of beef semimembranosus steaks) showed less (P < 0.05) visual discoloration. Pork loin chops had higher (P < 0.05) L* values for LED lighting. Other than beef longissimus lumborum steaks, products displayed under LED lights had colder internal temperatures than products under FLS lights (P < 0.05). Under LED, pork loin chops, ground turkey, and beef semimembranosus steaks had higher (P < 0.05) values for TBARS. LED provides colder case and product temperatures, more case efficiency, and extended color life by at least 0.5 d for longissimus and semimembranosus steaks; however, some LED cuts showed increased lipid oxidation.