ABSTRACT
When following collection of plants and fruits, food of animal origin also became available to humankind, in the form of predators’ leftover and later by ‘shing and hunting, they must have realized that meat cannot be left “as is,” because in some hours or some days, depending on the actual ambient temperature, it spoils or becomes poisonous, and consequently cannot be eaten. Since meat as animal protein is not only a food that tastes good but is also an excellent source of essential nutrients and some vitamins, it has always been the target of pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms that break down and transform these substances for the sake of their own growth. Keeping in mind this effect and its consequencies, humans felt forced to ‘nd ways in which to keep these hard-to-get meats available to them for a longer time.
