From a metabolomics profiling perspective explaining the deterioration impact induced by chicken meat exudate

Abstract

Exudate is the liquid released from meat during storage or processing. This study investigated the influence of exudate removal on the quality of pressed and freeze-thawed chicken meat during 36 h storage, focusing on exudate metabolites. Incorporating exudate increased lipid oxidation but only slightly affected TVB-N values in pressed and defrozen samples. This may be due to the high concentration of phospholipids and their derivatives in the exudate, which are prone to oxidation. For pressed samples, adding exudate raised total bacterial count (from 5.88 to 6.13 log cfu/g) and pH (from 6.14 to 6.17) at 36 h storage point, but no significant changes were observed in defrozen samples. While exudate removal had little effect on cooking loss and texture of cooked meat, it improved the meat's ability to maintain its structure and flavor during storage. These findings suggest removing exudate chicken meat processing can improve its quality and shelf life.