Abstract
The effects of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) with various CO2 concentrations on the bacterial community and shelf-life of smoked chicken legs during 25 d of storage at 4 °C were evaluated herein. Four treatments were stored in pallets (PAL) and MAP under 20% (M20), 60% (M60), and 100% (M100) CO2, respectively. The results indicated that the MAP treatments provided the legs with higher redness and hardness and lower yellowness, luminance, and lipid oxidation, compared with the PAL treatment. In addition, the MAP treatments effectively inhibited the growth of viable bacteria, delayed bacterial spoilage, and extended the shelf-life of the samples. The M60 and M100 treatments had a better inhibition effect on bacteria. In terms of bacterial community, Carnobacterium, Pseudomonas, Brochothrix, and Lactococcus were the most predominant genera in the 25 d-stored MAP samples, with Carnobacterium maltaromaticum, Pseudomonas fragi, Shewanella baltica, and Lactococcus piscium being the dominant species. However, while the inhibition effects of the M60 and M100 treatments on the bacterial community at Day 25 were similar, the outer package of the M100 treatment collapsed. Overall, the M60 treatment may be a promising approach to improving the quality and extending the shelf-life of smoked chicken legs.