Effect of Temperature on Modified Atmosphere Packaging Soft-Boiled Chicken

In order to study the effect of different storage temperature on shelf life and quality of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP, 30% CO₂/70% N₂) on Soft-Boiled chicken (SBC), the samples were respectively stored at 4, 7 and 12℃ for 0 to 7 days. The microbial content, pH value, color, storage loss, centrifugal loss, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) and sensory properties were measured daily to evaluate the preservation effect under different temperatures.Results indicated that compared with the temperature conditions at 7℃ and 12℃, the SBC which was stored at 4℃ had the least total numbers of microorganisms with slowly rising pH values. In addition, the rate of storage loss during storage was minimum with slow accumulation of TVB-N and the highest sensory evaluation scores.The lightness (L^*) and yellowness (b^*) of SBC decreased significantly during storage (p < 0.05), but the effect of storage temperature on color was not significant (p > 0.05). Comprehensive aerobic plate count and sensory evaluation scores showed that the shelf life of SBC at 4, 7 and 12℃ could reach more than 7 days, 6 days and 4 days respectively.Therefore, the shelf-life of modified atmosphere packaging Soft-Boiled chicken could be extended at 4℃ and the deterioration of the eating quality of the chicken could be reduced during storage.