Effects of Electron Beam Irradiation and High Pressure Treatment Combined with Citrus Peel Extract on Seasoned Chicken Breast Meat

Abstract

This study compared the effects of electron beam irradiation (EB; 1 and 2 kGy) and high pressure processing (HP; 300 and 400 MPa) on the quality characteristics of marinated chicken breast meat with and without citrus peel extract (CPE; 2%). The combination of CPE with EB (2 kGy) had a significant antimicrobial effect among the treatments. EB alone at 2 kGy reduced the initial microbial counts by 3.16 log cfu/g and no viable cells were detected in samples with CPE. The addition of CPE was not effective to control lipid oxidation in the seasoned breast meat during refrigerated storage. Both EB and HP had a nonsignificant impact (P > 0.05) on sensory attributes of samples without CPE. The use of CPE followed by EB (2 kGy) was the most effective way for shelf life extension of marinated chicken breast but adversely affected the sensory characteristics.