Shelf Life of Chicken Meat Balls Submitted to Sous Vide Treatment

Effect of the Addition of Chia Seed Gel as Egg Replacer and Storage Time on the Quality of Pork Patties

Two types of patties were prepared: control and with chia seeds gel instead of beaten egg. The patties were cooked in the steam-convection oven, vacuum packed and stored at 4 °C. The pork patties with chia addition were characterized by similar water activity and pH values to the control samples. They showed lower values of the b* colour parameter as well as colour saturation (C*) and hue angle values (h°) on the cross-section and lower values of colour parameters L*, a* and b* and C* on the surface than the controls. The addition of chia seeds improved the texture parameters of the tested products. Pork patties with chia seeds were softer and showed better chewiness than the control samples. Chia slowed down oxidative changes in pork patties during storage. The use of 8.0% addition of chia seeds was only slightly noticeable in taste of the pork patties and these samples received similar overall quality scores as control samples.

Effect of Time and Temperature on Physicochemical and Microbiological Properties of Sous Vide Chicken Breast Fillets

Temperature and time are two critical parameters in sous vide cooking which directly affect eating quality characteristics and food safety. This study aimed to evaluate physicochemical and microbiological properties of sous vide chicken breast fillets cooked at twelve different combinations of temperature (60, 70, and 80 °C) and time (60, 90, 120, and 150 min). The results showed that cooking temperature played a major role in the moisture content, cooking loss, pH, a* color value, shear force, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). Increasing cooking temperature caused an increase in cooking loss, lipid oxidation, TBARS, and pH, while moisture content was reduced (p < 0.05). Cooking time played a minor role and only moisture content, cooking loss, and a* color value were affected by this parameter (p < 0.05). Total mesophilic aerobic bacteria, Psychrotrophic bacteria, and Enterobacteriaceae were not detected during 21 days of storage at 4 °C. Cooking at 60 °C for 60 min showed the optimum combination of temperature and time for sous vide cooked chicken breast fillets. The result of this study could be interesting for catering, restaurants, ready-to-eat industries, and homes to select the optimum combination of temperature and time for improving the eating quality characteristics and ensuring microbiological safety.

Selection and application of natural antimicrobials to control Clostridium perfringens in sous-vide chicken breasts inhibition of C. perfringens in sous-vide chicken

Current consumer preferences for both clean label food ingredients and convenience-based foods has provided a unique opportunity to explore the application of novel natural food preservatives in sous vide products. The anaerobic environment and relatively low thermal processing of the sous vide process creates a favorable environment for the survival, germination, and outgrowth of spore-forming bacterium Clostridium perfringens. The aim of this study was to identify effective novel natural ingredient formulations against C. perfringens and apply them within a vacuum-sealed sous vide chicken model exposed to abusive storage and chilling conditions. Among six commercial vinegar-based formulations, liquid vinegar with citrus extract (CE; 1.0%) and with lemon juice concentrate (LJC; 1.5%) were identified as the most effective at inhibiting three individual C. perfringens strains. Both reduced viable cell counts by 5 log CFU/mL (P < 0.05), whereas reductions in spore counts ranged from 2 to 4 log CFU/mL depending on formulation and concentration used. Once incorporated to chicken meat 1.0% CE and 1.5% LJC before sous-vide cooking, completely inhibited the growth of mixed C. perfringens strains (P < 0.05) during storage for 16 days at 12 and 16 °C. Exponential cooling from 54 to 4 °C was performed for 18 h to imitate abusive storage conditions. CE and LJC at 3.0% inhibited growth and reduced counts by 3.4 and 2.9 log CFU/g compared to respective controls. Treatments CE and LJC could be implemented within the formulation of a sous vide chicken product to provide an effective protection against C. perfringens meeting clean label expectations.

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.