Quality and Safety Evaluation of Marketed Breaded Chicken and Production of a High Quality Nuggets Product

Fourty samples of breaded poultry meat products of three Egyptian companies (A, B and C) were collected from Alexandria markets (Egypt). The samples included nuggets, hot crispy chicken pane and chicken fillet. A new Nuggets product was produced containing well selected ingredients (N). Samples were subjected to mycological, bacteriological, chemical analysis, aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), and sensory evaluation to assure their quality and safety before and after frying. The obtained results revealed that AFB1 in the coating and meat of hot crispy chicken pan which purchased from B manufacturer recorded the highest concentration. In whole product, the meat and coating at level 2.178, 0.728 and 1.450 ppb respectively before frying, also the highest mean mold count (1.8x10 ± 2.9x10 cfu/g in the same product. Aspergillus flavus was the highest isolated species followed by Aspergillus niger. The highest percentage of A.flavus (75%) was detected in the hot crispy chicken pane manufactured by B Company while the highest percentage of A.niger (50%) was detected in the nuggets manufactured by A company. Bacteriological analysis revealed that Escherichia coli was isolated from nuggets A and B in incidence of 60% and 70% respectively, while it was neither detected in nuggets C nor in hot crispy chicken pane C that were produced by the same manufacture. Salmonella sp. was not detected in all samples. Both moisture content and water activity for all products before frying higher than after frying. Nuggets from manufacture B, hot crispy chicken pane of A and B were significantly of lower flavor scores, where the panelists were recognized a flavor of beginning of rancidity to rancid flavor. These products have high fat percentage and TBA values.