Abstract: In order to investigate the effect of processing parameters on the quality of soft-boiled chicken (SBC), three different soaking times (18, 20 and 22 min) in hot marinade at 95 ℃ and two different cold dipping times (8 and 15 min) were chosen, and totally six different combinations were designed to produce SBC. SBC was cooked at 25 ℃ for 2 h. The cooking yield, water-holding capacity, pH, color, texture profile analysis, microstructure and sensory properties were determined and aerobic plate count (APC) was measured after storage at ambient temperature for 2 h. Results showed that in the case of fixed cold dipping time, cooking yield decreased significantly while water-holding capacity increased significantly (P < 0.05); the gaps between muscle fibers became smaller and APC decreased significantly (P < 0.05) with the increase of hot soaking time. The texture properties of SBC with 15 min cold dipping were significantly better than those of SBC dipped for 8 min (P < 0.05). Sensory evaluation showed that the taste and flavor scores of SBC with 18 min soaking were significantly lower than those of other treatments (P < 0.05), and different cold dipping time had a significant influence on taste scores (P < 0.05). In conclusion, 20 min soaking in marinade at 95 ℃ followed by 15 min cold dipping in ice water gave preferable SBC with the highest sensory score. The results of this study provide a theoretical support and information for further exploration of standardized industrial production of SBC.

Key words: soft-boiled chicken, processing technique, hot soaking time, cold dipping in ice water, eating quality, aerobic plate count