Synergistic Effect of Ultrasound and Sodium Hypochlorite Treatment on Quality of Chilled Chicken Breast Meat

In order to reduce the concentration of sodium hypochlorite used to reduce its bacteria count, chicken breast meat was treated by the combination of ultrasound (300 W, on-off pulses of 1 s/1 s, 15 min) and sodium hypochlorite (30 mg/L).The effect of this combined treatment (U/SH30) on the bacterial decontamination and storage quality of chicken breast meat was evaluated through the determination of the total number of colonies, pH, color, tenderness, texture and water-holding capacity of chicken breasts during chilled storage (4℃). The results showed that U/SH30 treatment had no significant effect on pH, color or texture (P > 0.05), but decreased significantly total number of colonies (P * value, hardness and adhesiveness were lower, while springiness, L* value and a*value were higher than those in the control group from day 1 to 6. These results indicated that combining ultrasound with sodium hypochlorite can improve the tenderness and water-holding capacity while prolonging the shelf life of chicken meat. © 2019, China Food Publishing Company. All right reserved.