Physicochemical characteristics, microbiological quality, and Salmonella spp. detection of commercial broilers sold in Batong Malake public market, Los Baños, Philippines

The increasing incidence of foodborne illnesses worldwide is a significant health concern that affects millions of people. Certain foodborne pathogens may be present and can contaminate chicken meat if not properly handled and stored. This study was conducted to evaluate the physicochemical characteristics, microbiological quality, and safety of commercial broilers sold in Batong Malake public market, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines. Chicken breasts and thighs were purchased from three randomly selected stalls, with sample collection conducted at 7 AM, 11 AM, and 3 PM. The aerobic plate count (APC), temperature, pH, meat color (L*, a*, and b*), water-holding capacity (WHC), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) of all samples were evaluated, as were how stalls and purchasing times affected these characteristics. Results showed that the effect of purchasing times on the L* of chicken breasts, the WHC of chicken thighs, and the recorded temperatures, b*, and a* values of both chicken breasts and thighs differ significantly across stalls. No Salmonella spp. was detected using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Moderate significant positive correlations were observed between temperature and APC (r = 0.40, n = 27, p<0.05) and between a* and b* values (r = 0.43, n = 27, p<0.05) for chicken breasts, as well as between temperature and a* (r = 0.46, n = 27, p<0.05) and between TBARS and b* (r = 0.40, n = 27, p<0.05) for chicken thighs. On the other hand, moderate significant negative correlations were observed between pH and L* for chicken breasts and thighs (r = -0.48 and r = -0.42, n = 27, p<0.05, respectively), between pH and b* (r = -0.54, n = 27, p<0.05), and between L* and a* (r = -0.45, n = 27, p<0.05) for chicken thighs. This study revealed that the majority of the recorded physicochemical properties for meat quality and safety could indicate the freshness of the purchased chicken broilers at the Batong Malake public market.