Near-Freezing Temperature Storage (−2C) for Extension of Shelf Life of Chilled Yellow-Feather Broiler Meat: A Special Breed in Asia

• DOI: 10.1111/jfpp.12611
• Publication Date: 2015-11-19T09:14:37Z
• Authors: Xinxiao Zhang; Huhu Wang; Ming Li; Na Wu; Xinglian Xu
• Keywords: 2. Zero hunger; 0402 animal and dairy science; 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences

As a special breed in Asia, yellow-feather broilers have high nutrition and can deteriorate easily under chilled conditions. The present work evaluated the effect of different storage temperatures (−2, 1 and 4C) on the shelf life of chilled yellow-feather chicken under modified atmosphere packaging (CO2/N2: 80%/20%). The total viable counts reached the limit value (7.0 log colony-forming unit [cfu]/g) after 28 and 12 days of storage at 1 and 4C, whereas it did not exceed 7.0 log cfu/g during the whole −2C storage period. The samples stored at −2C had the lowest total volatile basic nitrogen content and maintained the best sensory quality and lowest drip loss among the three groups. The shelf lives of samples stored at −2 and 1C were significantly extended for 16 days compared with traditional chilling at 4C. Our results provide practical information on shelf life extension of chilled yellow-feather broiler meat, which provide benefits to the industry to reduce unnecessary food waste. Practical Applications As a special species in Asia, yellow-feather broiler meat has more distinctive flavor, and is thereby favored by consumers. As a result of rapid deterioration, it is imperative to develop a novel preservation technology for chilled yellow-feather chicken. In this work, we determined the quality changes of the shelf life of chilled yellow-feather chicken half-carcass with high CO2-modified atmosphere packaging stored at −2, 1 and 4C. The shelf lives of samples stored at −2 and 1C were significantly extended for 16 days compared with traditional chilling at 4C. Our results will provide practical information to extend the shelf life of chilled yellow-feather broiler meat, which will be of benefit to the poultry industry to reduce unnecessary food waste.