The effects of potassium sorbate and lactic acid on the shelf-life of vacuum-packed chicken meats.

In this research, the effects of 5% potassium sorbate (PS) and 3% lactic acid (LA) applications on total mesophylic aerobic bacteria, total psychrotrophic aerobic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, staphylococci and coliform bacteria, pH values, thiobarbituric acid (TBA) numbers, and sensorial properties of vacuum-packed chicken leg and breast meats were investigated during storage at 4 +/- 1 C. In addition, residual sorbate was examined. A decrease in bacterial counts of chicken leg and breast meats was observed in the periods following the treatments of PS and LA; however, towards the end of the storage period, the effectiveness of PS was greater than that of LA. Although no effect was observed on pH values of samples treated with PS, LA caused a decrease in pH values in chicken meats. Both PS and LA treatments resulted in high TBA numbers. Although the shelf-life periods of samples treated with PS and LA were about 30 d, vacuum-packed controls and unsealed controls (both of which were untreated) lost their edibility on the 18th and the 6th d, respectively. Sensory analysis panel members could not distinguish between PS samples and control samples. However, samples containing LA had lower scores than others. Both PS and LA treatments were considered to be acceptable. Quantities of sorbic acid found in the samples treated with PS were below the Acceptable Daily Intake established by the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization.