Book excerpt: In recent years, the meat industry has incorporated important technological advances that, to this point, have not been addressed in a single source. Comprehensive and authoritative, Advanced Technologies for Meat Processing presents developments concerning the quality, analysis, and processing of meat and meat products. Co-Edited by Fidel Toldra - Recipient of the 2010 Distinguished Research Award from the American Meat Science Association Featuring contributions from a panel of international experts, the book details technologies used in the meat processing chain. It describes important processing methodologies such as gene technology, automation, irradiation, hot boning, high pressure, vacuum-salting, enzymes, starters, and bacteriocins. The book begins by exploring various production systems that include the use of modern biotechnology, automation in slaughterhouses, and rapid non-destructive on-line detection systems. It proceeds to describe different new technologies such as decontamination, high pressure processing, and fat reduction. The book then examines functional meat compounds such as peptides and antioxidants and the processing of nitrate-free products and dry-cured meat products. It also discusses bacteriocins that fight against meat-borne pathogens and the latest developments in bacterial starters for improved flavor in fermented meats. It concludes with a discussion of packaging systems of the final products.