Assessment of Dipping Treatment with Various Lactic Acid or Sodium Benzoate Concentrations to Extend the Shelf-life of Spent Hen Breast Meats

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of immersion treatment using lactic acid (LA) and sodium benzoate (SB) on the physicochemical quality and freshness of spent hen breast meats. A total of 135 spent hen breast meats were subjected to 9 different treatments using various concentrations of LA and/or SB in sterile DW. The 9 treatment groups were as follows: Control, sterile DW without LA or SB; T1, I% LA; T2, 2% LA; T3, 4% LA; T4, 1% LA and 0.1% SB; T5, 2% LA and 0.1% SB; T6 2% LA and 0.2% SB; T7, 2% LA and 0.4% SB; T8, 4% LA and 0.2% SB, respectively. All groups were kept at 4 C for 15 d. The microbial counts in the control group gradually increased during storage, but those for the treated groups were significantly lower than the control or were not detected. The pH values of the control were significantly higher than those of the treated groups (p<0.05). In the color measurements, the lightness (L*) and yellowness (b*) values increased during storage and the redness (a*) values decreased (p<0.05). The K-value and volatile basic nitrogen of the treated groups were significantly lower than those of the control group (p<0.05). Overall, the combined results of this study indicate that LA and SB could be used as favorable preservatives for spent hen breast meats to extend their shelf-life during refrigerated storage.