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. 2021 May 6;26(9):2727.
doi: 10.3390/molecules26092727.

Combined Effect of Impregnation with an Origanum vulgare Infusion and Osmotic Treatment on the Shelf Life and Quality of Chilled Chicken Fillets

Maria C Giannakourou  1 , Stylianos Poulis  1 , Spyridon J Konteles  1 , Akrivi Dipla  1 , Vladimiros P Lougovois  1 , Vassiliki Kyrana  1 , Charalampos Proestos  2 , Vassilia J Sinanoglou  1
Affiliations

Combined Effect of Impregnation with an Origanum vulgare Infusion and Osmotic Treatment on the Shelf Life and Quality of Chilled Chicken Fillets

Maria C Giannakourou et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

The scope of this work is the study of a combined process including a dipping step into an oregano (Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum) infusion (OV) followed by osmotic treatment of chicken fillets at 15 °C. Chicken fillets were immersed in an osmotic solution consisting of 40% glycerol and 5% NaCl with (OV/OD) and without (OD) prior antioxidant enrichment in a hypotonic oregano solution. A comparative shelf life study of all the samples (untreated, OD and OV/OD treated) was then conducted at 4 °C in order to assess the impact of this process on the quality and shelf life of chilled chicken fillets. Microbial growth, lipid oxidation and color/texture changes were measured throughout the chilled storage period. Rates of microbial growth of pretreated fillets were significantly reduced, mainly as a result of water activity decrease (OD step). Rancidity development closely related to off odors and sensory rejection was greatly inhibited in treated fillets owing to both inhibitory factors (OD and OV), with water-soluble phenols (OV step) exhibiting the main antioxidant effect. Shelf life of treated chicken fillets exhibited a more than three-fold increase as compared to the untreated samples based on both chemical and microbial spoilage indices, maintaining a positive and pleasant sensory profile throughout the storage period examined.

Keywords: Origanum vulgare; chicken fillets; hurdle technology; osmotic treatment; shelf life improvement.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Impregnation of phenolics into chicken muscle, expressed as mg GAE/kg of chicken muscle (OV/OD procedure). Error bars represent the ± standard deviation of multiple measurements.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) Water loss (WL), (b) solid gain (SG) and (c) aw decrease of chicken fillets samples after OD and OV/OD at 40% glycerol concentration of the osmotic solution. Error bars represent the ±standard deviation of multiple measurements.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(a) Color changes expressed as L*/Lo* (full circles) and hue angle (open circles) during the combined procedure (OV/OD). Error bars represent the ±standard deviation of multiple measurements. (b) Representative illustrations of chicken fillet samples during the 8-h OV/OD process.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Microbial growth of (a) total viable count, (b) psychrotrophic bacteria and (c) LAB for all samples stored at 4 °C.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Lipid oxidation of chicken fillets (expressed as concentration of malondialdehyde, mg MDA/kg of chicken muscle) during storage at 4 °C.
Figure 6
Figure 6
(a) Color changes expressed as hue angle and (b) elasticity alterations of all samples during storage at 4 °C. Error bars represent the ±standard deviation of multiple measurements.
Figure 7
Figure 7
(a) Sensory evaluation of color and aroma of raw samples (at time zero of storage) and (b) sensory evaluation of cooked chicken fillets for all categories tested (untreated, OD and OV/OD).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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