Effect of storage temperature at 7°C on the physical-chemical and microbiological quality of industrialized cooked chicken breast meat

The effect of storage temperature at 7 degrees C on the physical-chemical and microbiological quality of industrialized cooked chicken breast meat was analyzed. Frozen cooked breast meat supplied from a poultry-processing industry was used. Fillets were stored at a prescribed temperature (7 degrees C) for 1517 days and the sample's chemical composition and initial pH was determined. Color, texture and microbiology were analyzed to determine the shelf-life of the cooked chicken breast meat. Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli were not detected. The highest values of Chroma a(star) were observed at 312 and 360 hours, exhibiting an intense red color resulting from meat deterioration. Chroma b(star) failed to show any significant difference between the first and last day of storage. Lightness (L-star) was decreased with storage time and revealed a darker color caused by microbial spoilage. Texture decreased from 2.93 to 1.12 kgf. It may be concluded that shelf-life attended to expectations with regard to texture, color and microbiology of cooked chicken breast meat stored at 7 degrees C during 13 days.