POST-MORTEM CHANGES AND QUALITY ATTRIBUTES OF MARINATED FILETS WHEN SUBJECTED TO ULTRA-RAPID AIR CHILLING by NEERAJ SHARMA

Direct water immersion chilling is used widely in the poultry plants because of higher heat transfer rate. However, post-mortem state of poultry muscle, extent of water uptake by carcasses prior to deboning, and marination has been one of the largest sources of inconsistency in marinated product quality and has become a problem for producers of marinated broiler meat. The effect of Ultra-rapid air chilling on carcasses compared to water chilling on the pH, Rvalues, % expressible moisture, cook yields, tenderness, color, calpain activity, and cook yield of marinated filets were investigated. In addition, the surface heat transfer coefficients were calculated when the carcasses were subjected to Ultra-rapid air chilling process, which would be helpful in designing of chilling cabinets. Results showed that carcasses subjected to Ultra-rapid air chilling had higher pH and %expressible moisture when compared to water chilled carcasses. No difference was observed in the R-values, cook yields, tenderness, color, and calpain activity between the chilling processes. Furthermore, air chilled filets marinated in Sodium Tri Polyphosphate (STPP) and cooked after 24 h of storage at 2oC gave higher yields when compared to water chilled filets. Higher yields may accounted to usual loss of mass during the air chilling process and higher water holding capacity due to the formation of thin crust of ice on the surface of the carcass. In conclusion, physical and chemical properties namely pH, % expressible moisture, tenderness, cook yields in marinade filets and quality attributes of marinated broiler muscle are influenced by the air chilling process. INDEX WORDS: Air chilling, dry chilling, Ultra-Rapid Air chilling, marination, cook yield, Broilers, Rigor-mortis. POST-MORTEM CHANGES AND QUALITY ATTRIBUTES OF MARINATED FILETS WHEN SUBJECTED TO ULTRA-RAPID AIR CHILLING