Effect of packaging and storage on the sensory quality of cooked chicken menu items served from chilled vending machines

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

This study examined the effects of packaging on the sensory qualities of two cooked chilled foods (deep fried chicken drumsticks and chicken à la king) after extended chilled storage. Quantitative descriptive analysis was used with a trained taste panel to score the sensory attributes of the two products at various stages of chilled storage up to a maximum of 14 days at 0–3°C. Storage had a significantly (P <0·05) deleterious effect on all the sensory attributes of chicken drumsticks. Just over half the sensory characteristics of chicken à la king were significantly affected and these effects were mainly concerned with appearance. Vacuum and modified atmosphere packaging extended the shelf life of both products in the sense that the changes in sensory attributes after 11–14 days were the same as in the cling‐film‐wrapped products after 4 days. The vacuum and modified atmosphere treatments were almost indistinguishable in their effects on the sensory attributes.