Abstract: In order to explore the effect of chitosan-tannic acid coating on the quality of Jiaohuaji chicken during storage, the microbial diversity of Jiaohuaji chicken with and without the coating treatment was evaluated. The changes in total bacterial count (TBC), pH, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) values during storage were analyzed as well. The results of high-throughput sequencing analysis showed that Bacillus, Streptophyta, and Prevotella were the dominant genera during the storage period of Jiaohuaji chicken. The abundance of Bacillus increased to 99.04% on the fifth day of storage (37 ℃), indicating it to be dominant. After the coating treatment, the abundance of Bacillus in Jiaohuaji chicken decreased by 13.53% whereas the abundance of Prevotella and other genera increased. In addition, the results of microbial and physicochemical analysis showed that the coating treatment kept the TBC below 5.0 (lg (CFU/g)) for 8 days (4 ℃), significantly reduced the pH, and decreased the TBARS and TVB-N values by 22.28% and 28.15%, respectively at the end of storage (4 ℃) compared with the blank control group. To sum up, the chitosan-tannic acid coating treatment changed the composition of the bacterial flora, inhibited the growth of spoilage bacteria to some extent, delayed lipid and protein oxidation, and prolonged the shelf life of Jiaohuaji chicken.

Key words: chitosan; tannic acid; Jiaohuaji chicken; microbial diversity; preservation