QUALITY OF REFRIGERATED COCKEREL MEAT AS INFLUENCED BY CHEMICAL TREATMENTS

Forty ready-to-cook cockerel halves were evaluated for quality after s ubjecting them to different treatments, viz. chilling in 3% sodium tri polyphosphate (STPP), 3% sodium chloride (NaCl), STPP 1.5% + NaCl 1.5% , 0.5% acetic acid and slushed ice. Carcasses treated with 3% STPP res ulted in highest moisture untake and less cooking losses bn storage. C hilling in 3% STPP resulted in higher meat pH, lower ERV and TBA value s on the first day but acetic acid (0.5%) treatment gave least meat pH . Under refrigerated storage (5 degrees +/- 1 degrees C) for 5 days ST PP 3% treatment significantly reduced the cooking losses and TBA value s, whereas 0.5% acetic acid and 3% NaCl treatments significantly incre ased ERV and TBA values. Refrigerated storage (5 days) yielded higher organoleptic scores with. STPP 3% followed by NaCl 3% treatment. Treat ment with acetic acid (0.5%) followed by STPP + NaCl combination gave lesser scores on storage.