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VOL. 11, ISSUE 3 (2026)
Early post-mortem quality characteristics of commercially available broiler chicken meat from retail poultry outlets
Authors
Hridhya Vijay C, Irshad A, Vasudevan V N, Suresh N Nair, Sathu T, Geetha N, Chinnu M V, Silpa S, Akhila V V, Thulasi K
Abstract
Commercially available broiler chicken meat marketed through retail
poultry outlets undergoes rapid post-mortem physicochemical and biochemical
changes that influence freshness, quality and consumer acceptability. The
present study evaluated the early post-mortem quality characteristics of
commercially available broiler chicken meat under ambient retail conditions. A
total of 300 broiler chicken meat samples were analysed, comprising breast and
leg muscles collected during 0–2, 2–4 and 4–6 h post-mortem intervals. The
samples were evaluated for carcass temperature, pH, R-value, lactic acid
concentration, instrumental colour values, thiobarbituric acid reactive
substances (TBARS) and bleeding efficiency using the malachite green test.
Carcass temperature declined significantly (P<0.001) in both breast and leg
muscles during the first 6 h post-mortem. Muscle pH decreased progressively,
whereas R-value and lactic acid concentration increased significantly,
indicating normal progression of post-mortem glycolysis and ATP degradation.
Breast muscle showed a gradual increase in lightness (L*) and a significant
decline in redness (a*), while colour changes in leg muscle were comparatively
less pronounced. Lipid oxidation increased significantly with post-mortem time,
with TBARS values reaching 0.40 and 0.47 mg malondialdehyde/kg in breast and
leg muscles, respectively, at 4–6 h. The malachite green test detected
imperfect bleeding in 8% of breast and 6% of leg muscle samples. These findings
provide baseline information on early post-mortem quality changes in
commercially available broiler chicken meat and highlight the importance of
proper slaughter, handling and timely chilling to preserve freshness and
quality under retail conditions.
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Pages:46-56
How to cite this article:
Hridhya Vijay C, Irshad A, Vasudevan V N, Suresh N Nair, Sathu T, Geetha N, Chinnu M V, Silpa S, Akhila V V, Thulasi K "Early post-mortem quality characteristics of commercially available broiler chicken meat from retail poultry outlets". International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition, Vol 11, Issue 3, 2026, Pages 46-56
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