Abstract
The current research attempted to evaluate the impact of various thawing techniques (R(0): control group, R(1): water immersion thawing, R(2): low-temperature thawing, R(3): combined thawing, water thawing then low-temperature thawing, R(4): combination thawing, low temperature thawing then water thawing, and R(5): oven thawing) on the quality, microbiota, and organoleptic characteristics of chicken meat fillets. The findings showed that moisture content varied from 74.43 to 72.33%; thawing loss peaked in R(1) at 4.66%, while it was minimum in R(5) at 2.10%. Lipid content varied from 1.09% in R(0) to 1.03% in R(5), while protein content varied from 22.06% in R(0) to 23.10% in R(1). The values of shear force, protein, and lipid oxidation increased for all treatments compared to control, ranging from 7.94 N to 9.54 N, 0.99-1.21 nm/mg protein, and 0.74-1.15 mg MDA/Kg, respectively. On the other hand, pH (5.94 in R(4)) and protein solubility (238.63 mg/g in R(1)) were decreased in contrast to the control group (6.08 and 298.27 mg/g). In association with different methods, R(5) and R(2) showed minimal thawing loss and the highest lipid and protein oxidation rates. However, R(3) showed reduced shear force and lipid oxidation comparatively. TPC was significantly (P < 0.05) increased in both R(2) and R(1). Sensory evaluation indicated that R(3) and R(2) showed better color and taste, while R(1) showed minimum scores for organoleptic attributes. R(0), R(3), and R(5) obtained a higher sensory score(,) whereas R(1), R(2), and R(4) showed a lower score. However, R(5) exhibited better results in close association with the control group (R(0)). Hence, it can be concluded that freezing and subsequent thawing decrease the quality of chicken fillets due to the time required for thawing. In the present study, the best quality of chicken fillets was retained by R(3) and R(5) due to their reduced thawing periods.