Abstract:

The effects of high-pressure treatment for 10 min at room temperature on quality of chicken meatballs were investigated. Results indicated that pH of chicken meatballs exhibited a quick increase at pressures less than 300 MPa and then tend to be stable at pressures higher than 300 MPa; in contrast, 2-thiobarbituric acid (TBA) value showed a slow increase at pressures less than 300 MPa and a rapid increase at 300－400 MPa. Meanwhile, color (L* value) increase could also be resulted from high-pressure treatments; however, it was not significant under various high-pressure levels. In addition, hardness revealed a quick increase upon to 400 MPa and elasticity exhibited an initial increase with its maximum peak at 300 MPa and a final decrease. Moreover, sensory evaluation also suggested quality improvement of chicken meatballs due to high-pressure treatments.

Key words: high-pressure treatment, chicken meatball, quality, sensory evaluation