Effects of moist‐ and dry‐heat cooking on the meat quality, microstructure and sensory characteristics of native chicken meat

A methodological review in sensory analyses of chicken meat

The sensory characteristics of poultry products are crucial in defining their quality and widely influence consumer choices. Even though the scientific literature clearly indicates that for muscle foods the sensory profile is relevant in purchase decisions and overall acceptability, sensory evaluation has often been underestimated and considered complementary to instrumental and/or chemical assessments. Sensory analysis includes different types of validated tests (discriminative, descriptive, and affective), applied depending on the purpose of the research study, requiring special attention in the sample preparation phase, in particular for nonhomogeneous products such as poultry meat, requiring reproducible cutting, cooking and presentation to the tasters. The aim of this paper is to review, critically assess and discuss sensory methods, standardized procedures and sample preparation tailored for chicken meat, through the literature from 2000 to 2023, with a section dedicated to ethical aspects that must be carefully considered when designing a sensory protocol. The target readers are both the research and the business communities, as the information can be widely applied for quality control, to develop new food products, to understand or drive preferences or, for example, to assess potential sensory differences among chickens fed with different diets. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this review represents a useful first guide for those approaching the sensory analysis of chicken meat.

Effect of ultrasound-assisted treatment on meat tenderization for elderly individuals

This study evaluated the effect of ultrasound using papain and sodium bicarbonate (SC) on meat tenderness to achieve the desired texture for elderly individuals. Meats were immersed in distilled water (DW) or papain (PI), ultrasonically treated with papain (UPI), or ultrasonically treated with papain and SC (UPIS). Response surface methodology was used to optimize the processing conditions with the lowest hardness, and the optimal conditions were determined as follows: 400 U/mL papain, ultrasonic for 30 min, and 4% SC. Hardness, color, and myofibrillar fragmentation index (MFI) were investigated. The hardness followed the order of DW (22.50 N), PI (18.62 N), UPI (12.08 N), and UPIS (7.16 N), and UPIS showed the highest MFI. Papain and SC affected the color of the meat. Overall, ultrasound-assisted treatment using papain and SC resulted in hardness levels of less than 7.8 N, which can be easily compressed by low tongue pressure.

Physicochemical Properties and Volatile Organic Compounds of Dairy Beef Round Subjected to Various Cooking Methods

To evaluate the effect of different cooking methods on the physicochemical quality and volatile organic compounds (VOC) of dairy beef round, twelve beef round pieces were divided into four groups: raw, boiling, microwave, and sous-vide. The sous-vide group had a higher pH than the boiling or microwave groups. The boiling group exhibited the highest shear force and CIE L*, followed by the microwave and sous-vide groups (p<0.05). The sous-vide group received higher taste and tenderness scores from panelists (p<0.05) and showed significantly higher levels of aspartic and glutamic acids than the other groups. The sous-vide and microwave groups had the highest oleic acid and polyunsaturated fatty acid levels, respectively. The sous-vide group had significantly higher hypoxanthine and inosine levels than the other groups. However, the microwave group had higher inosine monophosphate levels than the other groups. The sous-vide group had a higher alcohol content, including 1-octen-3-ol, than the other groups. Octanal and nonanal were the most abundant aldehydes in all groups. (R)-(-)-14-methyl-8-hexadecyn-1-ol, p-cresol, and 1-tridecyne were used to distinguish the VOC for each group in the multivariate analysis. Sous-vide could be effective in increasing meat tenderness as well as taste-related free amino acid (aspartic acid and glutamic acid) and fatty acid (oleic acid) levels. Furthermore, specific VOC, including 1-octen-3-ol, 2-ethylhexanal ethylene glycol acetal, and 2-octen-1-ol, (E)-, could be potential markers for distinguishing sous-vide from other cooking methods. Further studies are required to understand the mechanisms underlying the predominant association of these VOC with the sous-vide cooking method.

Comparative Studies on the Physicochemical and Volatile Flavour Properties of Traditional Deep Fried and Circulating-Air Fried Hairtail (Trichiurus lepturus)

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of deep frying (DF) and air frying (AF) on the quality and flavour profile of hairtail (Trichiurus lepturus) fillets. The changes of some physicochemical indices such as moisture content, oil content, colour, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and peroxide values (POV) in hairtail fillets were detected with increasing frying time. According to these physicochemical indices and sensory evaluation, deep frying for 7 min under 190 °C (DF7) and air frying for 24 min under 190 °C (AF24) were selected as samples for their great quality. The flavour fingerprint of hairtail (Raw, DF7, AF24) was developed and volatile compounds were investigated by HS-GC-IMS. A total of 28 volatile substances including aldehydes, alcohols, ketones and others were identified both in the DF7 and AF24 samples. There are differences in the aroma fingerprint between the DF7 and AF24 samples. DF was characterised by 2-Heptanone, (E)-2-Heptenal, 2-Pentyfuran and 1-Pentanol, AF was characterised by 2-methylbutanol, Ethyl methyl ketone-M and 3-hydroxy-2-butanone. These findings suggest that the aroma of hairtail fillets after DF7 and AF24 was significantly different and supply flavour information and practical applications of the fried hairtail fillets.

Recent Advances for the Developing of Instant Flavor Peanut Powder: Generation and Challenges

Instant flavor peanut powder is a nutritional additive that can be added to foods to impart nutritional value and functional properties. Sensory acceptability is the premise of its development. Flavor is the most critical factor in sensory evaluation. The heat treatment involved in peanut processing is the main way to produce flavor substances and involves chemical reactions: Maillard reaction, caramelization reaction, and lipid oxidation reaction. Peanut is rich in protein, fat, amino acids, fatty acids, and unsaturated fatty acids, which participate in these reactions as volatile precursors. N-heterocyclic compounds, such as the pyrazine, are considered to be the key odorants of the “baking aroma”. However, heat treatment also affects the functional properties of peanut protein (especially solubility) and changes the nutritional value of the final product. In contrast, functional properties affect the behavior of proteins during processing and storage. Peanut protein modification is the current research hotspot in the field of deep processing of plant protein, which is an effective method to solve the protein denaturation caused by heat treatment. The review briefly describes the characterization and mechanism of peanut flavor during heat treatment combined with solubilization modification technology, proposing the possibility of using peanut meal as material to produce IFPP.

Comparison of Physicochemical Characteristics and Sensory Attributes of Four Different Chicken Breeds from the Genuine and Selected Local Market

Village chicken is known as a high-quality product perception and sold at high prices. However, the authenticity of village chicken is doubted because colored chicken has been claimed as village chicken to fraud the consumers and to gain high profit. No stringent strategy has been implemented by the local authority on the authenticity of the claimed village chickens. Thus, the study aimed to determine the meat quality of different chicken breeds including village chicken, broiler chicken (Cobb), colored chicken (Hubbard), and layer chicken from genuine suppliers and chickens sold at different local markets based on the physicochemical characterization, textural properties, and sensory evaluation. Chicken breeds were obtained from genuine suppliers and slaughtered at the slaughtering house Universiti Putra Malaysia. Proximate composition, color, and textural properties were evaluated. Minitab-19 and SIMCA-13 software were used to analyze the results, applying analysis of variance and partial least squares discriminant analysis, respectively. The study revealed that some of the market-supplied chickens were not authentic based on the features studied. About 20% of market village chickens had possessed similar results as the control village chicken. It can be shown that 80% of the claimed village chicken sold in the market was not authentic village chicken. This study showed the differentiation in texture composition such as chewiness, hardness, gumminess, cohesiveness, resilience, and springiness, followed by protein content, ash content, and a ${}^{\ast }$ and b ${}^{\ast }$ values as an indicator to differentiate the authenticity of different chicken breeds.

Effects of a Novel Convection Heated Roasting Method on Aroma and Umami Taste Components of Vegetable- and Meat-Based Extracts

Roasting has been widely used in manufacturing food products, ensuring microbial safety, and improving extraction efficiency. Roasting treatment affects various qualities such as the chemical composition, physical properties, colour, aroma, and texture of food. This study determined the effect of novel convection heated roasting on aroma and taste components, that is, amino acids (AAs) and nucleotides in vegetables, meat, and their products. Heat treatment conditions were confirmed with a temperature condition of 250°C for 20–50 min for each raw material. The individual raw materials were each subjected to a convection oven process, then mixed together, and pressurised by heating at 121°C for 3 hours to prepare a key-based broth for use in Korean soup dishes. As for aroma components, aroma of fermented spirits, unpleasant aroma, and bad aroma were observed in the absence of roasting. By contrast, convection heated roasting-related aroma components such as savoury fatty aroma, coffee aroma, and roasted barley aroma were observed in the finished products after roasting. The products’ sensory profile presumably changed from negative to positive owing to roasting. By roasting, in the case of raw material extracts, the total AA and glutamic acid contents increased to 24.1–38.1%, and for the finished product, the total AA and glutamic acid contents slightly increased to 5.8–8.9%. However, no significant effect of roasting was found on nucleotides. In conclusion, it was concluded that the positive aroma component as well as the total amount of AA (umami taste) increased owing to roasting. The present results contribute immensely to the food industry as the enhancement of taste and aroma can help with the production of more palatable foods as desired by food consumers, thereby increasing the sales of nutritious foods that otherwise consumers may not buy.

Improvement strategies for quality defects and oxidation of pale, soft and exudative (PSE)-like chicken meat: effects of domestic cooking and core temperature

In practice, this study will help to better elucidate the relationship between oxidation profile and meat quality, and provide consumers with recommendations for consuming PSE-like meat.

Application of principal component analysis with instrumental analysis and sensory evaluation for assessment of chicken breast meat juiciness

1. The objectives of this study were to use principal component analysis (PCA) to analyse the variability of the three instrumental and 14 descriptive sensory properties of chicken breast meat. The meat was cooked until the internal temperature reached 85°C and further cooked for 0, 20, and 40 min. The second objective was to identify the most critical variables for assessing meat juiciness.2. Cooking loss and moisture content exhibited high correlation with sensorial moisture release and mouth feel.3. The distribution of objects on the axes of the first two principal components (PCs) enabled the identification of three groups undergoing different cooking durations. The four major PCs explained 80.0% of the total variability.4. Cooking loss, moisture content, water-holding capacity, sensorial moisture release and mouth feel were demonstrated as the most effective variables for the first two PCs. PCA with instrumental and sensory analyses proved an effective procedure for systematically and comprehensively judging chicken meat juiciness.

Saltiness perception enhancement of fish meat treated by microwave: The significance of conformational characteristics, water and sodium mobility

A saltiness perception enhancement method of grass carp meat conducted by microwave heating was investigated. Ion chromatographic results demonstrated that all samples had the same sodium level retained in matrices after being treated by water bath (WBV) and microwave with different power of 2.5, 7.5, 10, and 12.5 W/g (MWV). However, the meat treated by microwave exhibited a higher salty intensity than that of WBV, particularly MWV-10 W/g and MWV-12.5 W/g. The enhanced saltiness perception of meat treated by microwave was attributed to the facilitated water and sodium mobility demonstrated by low field-NMR and pulse-field-gradient stimulated echo (PFG-STE) ²³Na NMR experiments. Furthermore, the enhancement was also related to the formation of microstructure favorable for sodium diffusion, originating from the insufficient denaturation and less exposure of hydrophobic groups of proteins induced by microwave heating. Therefore, microwave heating has the potential to enhance the saltiness perception of meat in the food industry.

Structure-related differential proteins identification for sous-vide cooking hairtail (Trichiurus lepturus) product

Optimal heating parameters for sous-vide cooking hairtail (Trichiurus lepturus) were selected and the differential proteins related to texture change were clarified using proteomics. Heating under 68 °C for 20 min was chosen to be the desirable heating parameter. Texture profile analysis (TPA) showed the texture of hairtail changed more severely during heat-up process than heating preservation process. Most of the high-content proteins did not change much during heating preservation. 169 kinds of proteins were identified as differential expressed proteins. Actin cytoplasmic 1, myosin heavy chain 1 and myosin heavy chain were the most variable structural proteins during heat-up process, with the change fold of 32.4, 29.1 and 18.8, respectively, while the highest structure proteins changing fold during heat preservation process were 16.7, 4.7 and 3.9, respectively, much lower than that of heat-up process. The partial deformation of structure-related proteins under sous-vide cooking was a vital factor in reserving the texture of hairtail.

The applicability of using a protease extracted from cashew fruits (Anacardium occidentale), as possible meat tenderizer: An experimental design approach

Meat tenderness is one of the most important organoleptic properties in determining consumer acceptance in meat product marketability. Therefore, an effective meat tenderization method is sought after by exploring plant-derived proteolytic enzymes as meat tenderizer. In this study, a novel protease from Cashew was identified as a new alternative halal meat tenderizer. The extraction of cashew protease was optimized using response surface methodology (R² = 0.9803) by varying pH, CaCl₂ concentration, mixing time, and mass. pH 6.34, 7.92 mM CaCl₂ concentration, 5.51 min mixing time, and 19.24 g sample mass were the optimal extraction conditions. There was no significant difference (n = 3; p < 0.05) between the calculated (6.302 units/ml) and experimental (6.493 ± 0.229 units/ml) protease activity. The ascending order of the effects was pH < mixing time < CaCl₂  < sample mass. In meat tenderizing application, the meat samples treated with 9% (v/w) crude protease extract obtained the lowest shear force (1.38 ± 0.25 N) to cause deformation on the meat. An electrophoretic analysis showed that protein bands above ~49.8 kDa were completely degraded into protein bands below ~22.4 kDa. Scanning electron microscopy shows the disruption of the muscle fibers after being treated by the Cashew protease. The results of this study show the Cashew (Anacardium occidentale) crude extract can be used as an alternative of the animal and microbial protease as meat tenderizer and subsequently overcome the shortcoming of the halal industrial protease.

The effect of low-temperature thermal processing on the quality of chicken breast fillets

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the temperature and time of sous vide cooking on the quality of chicken breast fillets. Meat was thermally processed at six different combinations of temperature and time: 55℃ (260 min and 320 min), 58℃ (140 and 200 min) and 61℃ (90 and 150 min). Thermally processed chicken breasts were analysed for cooking loss, proximate composition, colour parameters, pH, texture parameters and sensory quality. Heat processing at a temperature of 58℃/200 min produced meat with the most desirable sensory quality. These fillets were characterized by the lowest moisture content, high protein content, lowest concentration of malondialdehyde, low shear force value, lowest hardness and chewiness, and the highest scores for tenderness and overall acceptance in sensory evaluation.

Cooking Method and USDA Quality Grade Affect Consumer Palatability and Flavor of Beef Strip Loin Steaks

Consumer sensory analysis (n = 288) was conducted, along with cooking loss, slice shear force (SSF), pressed juice percentage (PJP), and volatile compound analyses, to evaluate the effects of different dry heat cooking methods. Specifically, an electric clamshell grill (CLAM), flat top gas grill (FLAT), charbroiler gas grill (CHAR), and salamander gas broiler (SAL) were used to cook beef strip loin steaks from 4 USDA quality grades [Prime, Top (upper 2/3) Choice, Low (lower 1/3) Choice, and Select)] to determine the palatability. Cooking method and quality grade influenced (P < 0.01) consumer tenderness, juiciness, flavor liking, and overall liking. Steaks cooked on CHAR had greater (P < 0.05) flavor liking and subsequently greater overall liking than any other cooking method. Steaks cooked on FLAT were scored lower for tenderness and juiciness than any other cooking method (P < 0.05), whereas steaks cooked on CLAM had lower (P < 0.05) flavor liking scores than any other cooking method, excluding FLAT. Overall acceptance was greater (P < 0.05) for steaks cooked on CHAR compared to all other cooking methods, regardless of quality grade. Prime samples had greater scores than Low Choice and Select for tenderness, juiciness, flavor liking, and overall liking (P < 0.05), but Prime did not differ from Top Choice for all traits. No main effects or interactions influenced (P > 0.05) SSF or PJP. Both cooking method and quality grade impacted (P < 0.05) the headspace concentration of some volatile compounds in the alcohol, n-aldehyde, Strecker aldehyde, and furan groups. Cooking method also affected all pyrazines, and quality grade had an effect on 1 ketone (P < 0.05). These results indicate cooking method had a significant impact on consumer palatability ratings and objective measures of beef flavor, and those results were consistent across a range of quality grades.