Using oxidation kinetic models to predict the quality indices of rabbit meat under different storage temperatures

This study explored the effects of temperature on the behavior of lipid and protein oxidation in rabbit meat, and also investigated the quality indices of rabbit meat under different storage temperatures. We developed kinetic models of select quality indices such as total aerobic count (TAC), thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), and total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N). Data on meat quality indices under non-isothermal conditions were used to validate the models. Lipid and protein oxidation increased with storage time and storage temperature within a certain temperature range. The changes in quality index were as follows: the lightness (L*) and redness (a*) of rabbit meat gradually decreased (P < .05), whereas the yellowness (b*) of the meat continuously increased for all samples. Results show that the color change slowed down as the temperature decreased. The pH levels of the meat samples stored at 4 °C increased gradually over time; the pH of the samples stored at -4 °C decreased after 0-5 days of storage time and then increased afterwards. By contrast, the pH levels of the samples stored at -12 °C and - 18 °C did not change significantly over time (p > .05). TAC, TVB-N, and TBARS increased with storage time and temperature within a certain temperature range. The dependence of rabbit meat quality on temperature was adequately modelled by the Arrhenius-type equation; the activation energy values were 84.39, 79.52, and 108.25 kJ/mol for TAC, TBARS, and TVB-N, respectively. The validation results showed that changes in the quality of rabbit meat can be predicted based on the prediction models of TAC, TVB-N, and TBARS within -18 °C to 4 °C.