Abstract: Salt-baked chicken was prepared with a low-sodium salt mixture containing 52% sodium chloride, 30% potassium chloride, 8% calcium lactate and 10% yeast extract (m/m) as a low-sodium (LS) group, and with 100% sodium chloride as a control group. The effect of the low-sodium salt formulation on the physicochemical and microbiological quality of salt-baked chicken was explored during storage. The results showed that pH of salt-baked chicken first rose and then fell with storage time. Total sulfhydryl content and sensory score from fuzzy mathematics decreased. Total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) content, thiobarbituric reactive substances (TBARS) value and total colony number increased. At day 0 of storage, coliform and pathogenic bacterial count complied with the national hygienic standard for cooked meat products GB 2726-2016, but exceeded it at day 30. pH, TVB-N content, TBARS value and total colony number were always higher in the LS group than the control group, whilst the opposite was true for the degree of fat and protein oxidation. However, the color parameters a* and b* values and sensory score were not significantly different between the two groups (P > 0.05). TVB-N and total number of colonies indicated that the salt-baked chicken from LS group had severe deterioration during the same storage period. High-throughput sequencing showed that the most dominant bacterial phylum in salt-baked chicken was Firmicutes, and the most dominant bacterial genus in both groups were Serratia and Paeniclostridium. In summary, the application of the low-sodium salt formulation can inhibit fat and protein oxidation in salt-baked chicken while having no significant effect on its color or sensory quality and no negative effect on its safety. Neither of the groups is fit for consumption after 20 days of storage.

Key words: low-sodium; salt-baked chicken; storage period; high-throughput sequencing; microbial diversity