Flavor quality implications in chlorination of poultry chiller water

Chicken carcasses, obtained from a commercial processing plant both before and after a chiller chlorine water bath, were deboned and separated into li ght(breast) and dark (legs and thighs) samples. Both meat and skin were min ced to form a homogeneous mixture from which patties were prepared, cooked and refrigerated (2 degrees C) for 0-3 days. Following storage, the patties were reheated, cut into cubes and distributed into subsamples for sensory and chemical analyses. In dark patties, no significant differences were obs erved by sensory or chemical measurements in response to chlorination. Deve lopment of warmed-over notes, however, occurred sooner in nonchlorinated li ght patties than chlorinated light patties. Upon further storage, warmed-ov er scores in chlorinated samples became markedly higher than those recorded for nonchlorinated samples. Sensory differences detected early in storage could not be distinguished by headspace or TEA analyses pointing out the li mitations in relying on chemical analyses alone to evaluate treatments. (C) 2000 Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology. Published by Elsev ier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.