Abstract:Dezhou Braised Chicken was vacuum packed using three different barrier packaging materials. In order to study the effect of barrier property of packaging material during storage, physical and chemical indicators of braised chicken, such as surface color changes, thiobarbituric acid (TBA) content, and volatile compounds were measured, and sensory evaluations were conducted. The results indicated that the L* and a* values of the braised chicken packed with common packaging material decreased rapidly, and significant browning occurred on Day 5 (L* value decreased from 50.02 to 46.34 and a* value decreased from 16.33 to 13.17)). In contrast, the L* and a* values of the braised chicken packed using two high-barrier packaging materials did not change significantly (p > 0.05) from the initial values, upon storage (L* value: 50.02; a* value: 16.33). For the two high-barrier packaging materials, the TBA values after 20 days were 0.60 mg/kg and 0.65 mg/kg, which were significantly lower than that for the common packaging material (0.76 mg/kg; p < 0.05). The results from the electronic nose method and GC-MS analysis indicated that more volatile, sulfur-containing compounds and volatile compounds from spices were preserved with high-barrier packaging materials. With increasing storage time, rancid taste appeared with common packaging material, but not with high-barrier packaging materials. In summary, high-barrier packaging could effectively maintain the original color of braised chicken, delay lipid oxidation, and retain original flavor.
