Effect of cold storage on lipid and protein oxidation, microbial spoilage, and physicochemical properties of chicken meat

Due to the low-fat content and its richness in fatty acids, especially the saturated ones, and lower cholesterol levels than mutton and beef, many consumers prefer broiler chicken meat. However, the refrigerated storage may lead to chemical alterations and microbial proliferation in the meat product, generating metabolites that induce physical and chemical quality changes in the chicken meat. Thus, the study focuses on chicken meat's oxidation of lipids and proteins, microbial degradation, and physicochemical attributes during refrigeration. The study involves 30 forty-two-day-old ROSS broiler chickens at a commercial plant in Erbil, Kurdistan region of northern Iraq. After slaughtering the bids, the extracted and segmented chicken breast muscle samples into three portions: 1, 3, and 5 days postmortem after bleeding and evisceration. After a designated five-day storage period, the extracted all Pectoralis major muscle samples from their packages and sectioned them into various portions for microbiological analysis and meat quality assessments. In this study, There were increased activities of microbes, including lactic acid bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, pseudomonas species, and total aerobic counts (P<0.05) as the days of ageing went up. However, the total bacterial count in groups was within an acceptable range. The thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, carbonyl, and free thiol contents changed significantly as the meat ages for 1, 3, and 5 days. Similarly, the ageing and refrigerated storage of broiler chicken meat affected colour, muscle pH, water holding capacity, drip loss, cooking loss, and myosin heavy chains and actin Improved refrigerated storage and meat ageing are vital to ensuring better meat quality, safety, and shelf life.