From a metabolomics profiling perspective explaining the deterioration impact induced by chicken meat exudate

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Meat Science
• Microbiology

Background:

• Meat exudate, a liquid released during storage, contains metabolites that can affect meat quality.
• Understanding exudate's impact is crucial for optimizing meat processing and preservation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of exudate removal on the quality of pressed and freeze-thawed chicken meat.
• To analyze exudate metabolites and their influence on lipid oxidation, microbial growth, and sensory attributes during 36-hour storage.

Main Methods:

• Chicken meat samples (pressed and freeze-thawed) were analyzed with and without exudate.
• Measurements included lipid oxidation, TVB-N values, total bacterial count, pH, cooking loss, and texture.
• Storage duration was 36 hours.

Main Results:

• Exudate incorporation increased lipid oxidation due to high phospholipid content.
• Pressed samples with exudate showed higher bacterial counts and pH.
• Exudate removal minimally impacted cooking loss and texture but improved structure and flavor retention.

Conclusions:

• Exudate removal enhances chicken meat quality and extends shelf life.
• Reducing exudate minimizes detrimental effects like lipid oxidation and microbial proliferation.
• Findings support exudate removal as a beneficial practice in chicken meat processing.