Enhancing spent hen meat quality using sous vide cooking and proteolytic fruits

This study investigated the effectiveness of sous-vide cooking (SVC) combined with proteolytic enzyme-rich fruit mashes (fig and papaya) in improving the quality characteristics of spent hen drumsticks. Five treatment groups were evaluated: control (DC), distilled water plus sous-vide (DDW), fig mash plus sous-vide (DF), papaya mash plus sous-vide (DP), and a combined fig-papaya mash plus sous-vide treatment (DFP). Physicochemical, technological, textural, microbiological, microstructural, and sensory properties were analyzed. Cooking loss ranged from 27.62 to 39.24%, with the lowest value observed in DDW and the highest in DF, while yield varied between 60.76 and 72.38%. Water-holding capacity ranged from 15.05 to 20.63%, with DDW and DP exhibiting superior retention properties. Fruit mash treatments significantly reduced meat pH and altered color characteristics compared with the control. Texture profile analysis demonstrated substantial tenderization effects, as hardness decreased from 25.83 N in the control to 7.21 N in DFP, accompanied by significant reductions in gumminess and chewiness. Although DF and DFP did not differ statistically in hardness, the combined treatment exhibited the lowest numerical value, indicating the greatest tenderizing effect. Microstructural examination confirmed pronounced degradation of muscle fibers and enlargement of interfibrillar spaces in enzyme-treated samples. Microbiological analyses showed that mash-assisted sous-vide treatments effectively maintained low microbial counts throughout processing. Sensory evaluation revealed no significant differences among treatments in odor, color, flavor, or overall acceptability, although texture scores were affected by treatment type. Overall, the combination of proteolytic fruit mashes and sous-vide cooking, particularly the fig-papaya treatment, proved to be an effective strategy for enhancing tenderness and technological quality of spent hen drumsticks while preserving consumer acceptability.