Effect of Calcium Lactate, Sodium Diacetate and Sodium Chloride Mixture on the Microbiological, Chemical and Sensory Properties of Chicken Nuggets Stored in Refrigeration and under Modified Atmospheres

This study was conducted to assess the effects of 0.5% Preservative Mixture (PM) containing calcium lactate (40%), sodium diacetate (40%) and sodium chloride (20%) on the microbiological, chemical and sensory quality of chicken meat nuggets stored at 4±2oC and under Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP). There were two experimental groups of samples, namely control and PM-treated. The results showed that the PM-treated nugget samples had significantly (P<0.05) lower total bacterial count (TAB), coliform, Peroxide Value (PV) and Free Fatty Acids (FFA). At the same time, PM-treated nugget samples markedly higher scores for sensory evaluation such as appearance, texture, taste, odour and totally.