Date of Award

8-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Food, Nutrition, and Culinary Science

Committee Chair/Advisor

George A. Cavender

Committee Member

Julie Northcutt

Committee Member

Paul Dawson

Abstract

High Pressure processing is an innovative technique for preserving a wide variety of foods, including meat, and this method is increasingly used to satisfy consumer demand for quality food products. High-pressure treatment can impact, negatively or positively, various aspects of meat quality, including color, texture, protein denaturation, and microbial stability, particularly when food products are processed at ambient or low temperatures. By minimizing thermal exposure, appropriate high-pressure ranges help to prevent quality and nutrition degradation, reduce microbial contamination, and enhance tenderness.

The first objective of this research was to examine the influence of high-pressure processing and addition of natural antimicrobials on the safety and quality of ground chicken breasts, focusing on microbial aspects, lipid-oxidation, various texture attributes and color through different physicochemical analysis. Additionally, the second objective of this investigation was to explore quality attributes of cooked high-pressurized chicken patties incorporating natural antimicrobials through a sensory study involving untrained panelist, while compering results with the TPA analysis performed previously.

To address this first objective, ground chicken breasts were processed with two different pressures treatments. Additionally, two natural antimicrobials were added: buffered concentrated vinegar with rosemary essential oil (V+REO) and a lemon juice-vinegar blend. Samples were inoculated with a non-pathogenic E. coli strain and individually packaged. The samples, with or without the antimicrobial additives, were refrigerated and then processed at either 300 MPa or 600 MPa. E. coli and Pseudomonas spp. counts were performed, along with pH measurements, TBARS analysis, color, texture profile analysis (TPA) of raw samples, and TPA and yield of cooked samples. All samples treated at 600 MPa showed reductions in E. coli greater than 5 log cfu/g, while non-HPP samples saw more modest reductions, even in those treated with antimicrobials. Higher HPP treatments showed significant difference (P≤0.05) in color, primarily evidenced by an increase in whiteness.

To approach the second objective, a sensory study was conducted to investigate the acceptability and preference of nine chicken patties treatments, which involve combinations of three pressure conditions (0MPa, 300 MPa and 600 MPa) and two antimicrobials (Buffered concentrated vinegar with rosemary oil (V+REO) and a lemon-vinegar blend). A panel consisting of 63 untrained participants evaluated sensory attributes including juiciness, cohesiveness, tenderness, overall texture and color for each chicken patty cooked using sous vide and finished with surface searing. Panelists rated the chicken patties using a 9-point hedonic scale, with those processed at 600 MPa earning the lowest mean score. These results were significantly different (P≤0.05) compared to the samples processed at 300 MPa and those not processed using HPP. The samples processed at 300 MPa received significantly higher rankings (P≤0.05) compared to both the samples processed at 600 MPa and those processed without pressure. From this work, it is evident that high pressure processing can improve certain quality characteristics, however, pressures above 300 MPa can lead to undesirable changes. Further research is needed to explore various pressure levels and times to ensure adequate safety while maintaining quality characteristic.

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