DEVELOPMENT AND QUALITY EVALUATION OF CHICKEN NUGGETS USING FISH MEAT

Background: Chicken nuggets are widely consumed convenience meat products but are nutritionally limited in omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, particularly eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. Fish meat is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, high-quality protein, essential lipids, and micronutrients that contribute to cardiovascular and metabolic health. Incorporating fish meat into chicken nuggets may therefore enhance their nutritional profile while maintaining acceptable quality and sensory characteristics. Objective: The objective of this study was to develop fish-enriched chicken nuggets and to evaluate the effects of graded levels of fish meat incorporation on physicochemical, cooking, and sensory attributes during refrigerated storage. Methods: Chicken nuggets were formulated by replacing chicken meat with fish meat at levels of 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, and 10%, alongside a control formulation without fish meat. Standardized ingredients were weighed, mixed, blended, and molded into uniform shapes following partial freezing at −18 °C. Nuggets were coated with egg and breadcrumbs, packaged individually in polyethylene bags, and stored under refrigerated conditions for up to 45 days. Samples were evaluated at defined intervals for moisture, pH, ash, protein, fat content, cooking yield, cooking loss, shrinkage, water holding capacity, water retention, emulsion stability, and sensory attributes using a nine-point hedonic scale. Data were statistically analyzed to determine treatment and storage effects. Results: Increasing fish meat levels and storage duration significantly influenced nugget quality. Moisture content increased from 62.30 ± 2.31 to 71.76 ± 2.07, pH from 6.03 ± 0.06 to 6.40 ± 0.03, ash from 1.59 ± 0.03 to 1.96 ± 0.03, protein from 17.11 ± 0.03 to 20.73 ± 0.53, and fat from 7.78 ± 0.03 to 9.28 ± 0.17. Cooking yield improved from 94.01 ± 0.05 to 97.70 ± 0.86, water holding capacity from 38.10 ± 0.96 to 50.43 ± 1.45, water retention from 84.13 ± 2.46 to 91.10 ± 2.66, and emulsion stability from 94.40 ± 1.06 to 99.13 ± 0.02, while cooking loss declined from 17.89 ± 0.57 to 9.73 ± 0.36. Shrinkage increased from 20.96 ± 0.69 to 27.85 ± 0.57. Sensory attributes differed significantly among treatments, with moderate fish incorporation achieving the highest acceptability scores. Conclusion: The incorporation of fish meat substantially enhanced the nutritional quality and functional performance of chicken nuggets. A moderate level of fish meat provided the best balance between improved composition and sensory acceptance, supporting the development of healthier, consumer-acceptable meat products.