Presalting Condition Effects on the Development of Pink Color in Cooked Ground Chicken Breasts

Evaluation of amidated pectin as fat substitutes for minced chicken breast: Physicochemical properties and edible quality

An investigation was conducted to assess the gelation characteristics of amino acid amidated pectin and its subsequent influence on the quality of minced chicken breast (MCB) when employed as a lipid substitute. Through experimentation, it was evidenced that amidated pectin, such as glycine amidated pectin (AP@Gly), glutamic amidated pectin (AP@Glu), and lysine amidated pectin (AP@Lys), demonstrated superior viscosity and gelation capacity in comparison to their native pectin (PE) counterpart. In contrast to PE, amidated pectin samples exhibited the potential to form high-strength hydrogels under conditions of minimal restriction. Additionally, evaluations conducted on all samples established that MCB samples enriched with pectin and amidated pectin demonstrated superior water retention capability. Before thermal processing, MCB samples fortified with amidated pectin showcased higher hardness and L* values in comparison to PE and the control group. However, upon thermal processing, no significant divergence was found in the chroma and texture profile analysis (TPA) attributes across all MCB samples, and the electronic tongue sensory evaluation was closely aligned with the control group. This evidence substantiates the effectiveness of amidated pectin samples as viable lipid substitutes in MCB products.

The Effects of Addition Timing of NaCl and Sodium Tripolyphosphate and Cooking Rate on Pink Color in Cooked Ground Chicken Breasts

The current study investigated the effects of timing of NaCl (2%) and sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP, 0.5%) addition and cooking rates on color and pigment properties of ground chicken breasts. Four treatments were tested as follows: treatment 1, no NaCl and STPP added and stored for 7 d; treatment 2, NaCl+STPP added on 0 d and stored for 7 d; treatment 3, NaCl added on 0 d and STPP added on 7 d; and treatment 4, stored for 7 d and NaCl+STPP added. All samples were cooked at a fast (5.67°C/min) or slow cooking rate (2.16°C/min). Regardless of the timing of NaCl and STPP addition, reflectance ratios of nitrosyl hemochrome, cooking yield, pH values, oxidation-reduction potential, and percent myoglobin denaturation were similar (p>0.05) across treatments 2, 3, and 4. The highest CIE a* values were observed in treatment 4 (p<0.05), while treatment 2 was effective in reducing the redness in cooked chicken products. The fast cooking rate resulted in lower CIE a* values and higher CIE L* values and cooking yield in cooked chicken breasts compared to the slow cooking rate. Our results indicate that adding NaCl and STPP to meat, followed by storing and cooking at a fast rate, may result in inhibiting the pink color defect sporadically occurred in cooked ground chicken breasts.