Effect of Low-Temperature and Low-Airflow Cooling on Quality of Chilled Chicken

In order to study the effect of low-temperature and low-airflow cooling on the quality of chilled chicken, carcasses from cage-reared broilers were cooled at different temperatures (−10, −15 and −20 ℃) at a controlled airflow rate of 0.1 m/s immediately after being slaughtered at the age of 90 d, and those cooled in iced water at 4 ℃ were used as control. The cooling rate was determined and changes in carcass mass, color, water-holding capacity (WHC), soluble protein content, myofibril fragmentation index (MFI) and shear force were analyzed after cooling and storage at 4 ℃ for 24 h. The results showed that low-temperature air cooling reduced the central temperature of broiler carcass to 4 ℃ in 60 min. The cooking loss, centrifugal loss and MFI in the air-cooled group were significantly better than those in the iced water-cooled group (P < 0.05). The carcass mass loss, cooking loss, centrifugal loss and shear force of the −15 ℃ air-cooled group were significantly better than those of the −10 ℃ air-cooled group (P < 0.05), and the a* value, cooking loss and centrifugal loss were significantly better than those of the −20 ℃ air-cooled group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, cooling the carcass for 60 min at −15 ℃ and an airflow rate of 0.1 m/s can meet the requirements of fast cooling of the carcass, and improve the quality deterioration of broiler meat during cooling and storage.