Change of quality and myofibrillar protein structure of chill whole chicken meat during storage: Effects of tea polyphenol and irradiation

This investigation examined the influence of tea polyphenol (TP, 300 mg/L) treatment, irradiation (IR, 6 kGy) treatment, and TP-assisted IR (TPIR) treatment on the quality of stored chicken meat. The quality indexes of chicken meat (sensory attributes, structure index, and TVB-N value), and the oxidation, degradation, the advanced structure of chicken MP (secondary structure, total sulfhydryl group content, carbonyl group content, surface hydrophobicity property, and SDS-PAGE) were systematically analyzed. Compared with control group, the treated groups had smaller TVB-N value (Control>IR>TP>TPIR), higher sensory scores (Control<IR<TP<TPIR) and better structural properties. In addition, the treated groups had a smaller carbonyl content (Control>IR>TP>TPIR), higher sulfhydryl content (Control<IR<TP<TPIR). It indicated that tea polyphenols and/or irradiation technology could inhibit microbial reproduction and protein degradation, and prolong the shelf life of chicken. Compared with IR group, the lower TVB-N value and degree of protein oxidation in TP group indicated that TP was superior to IR group. In addition, the TPIR group had the best preservation effect, indicating that tea polyphenols could mask the side effects of irradiation, and they had a synergistic effect (TPIR>TP>IR). Compared with control group, the shelf life was extended by 6, 6 and 10 days in TP, IR and TPIR groups, respectively.