Study of modified atmosphere packaging on the quality of ozonated freeze-dried chicken meat

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) conditions on the physicochemical and sensory properties of ozonated freeze-dried chicken meat stored at 21±1°C for 28days. To this end, 14 MAP treatments were performed to obtain the most suitable packaging atmosphere. High concentrations of O2 in MAP promoted loss of redness and increased the pH values. Moreover, when the concentration of CO2 in MAP was more than 40%, high values of textural parameters and low scores of sensory hardness and chewiness were achieved. The 20%CO2/80%N2 gas combination was found to be the most effective treatment for best maintaining the physicochemical and sensory quality of ozonated dried chicken samples similar to that of raw meat.