ABSTRACT
Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 326 Nutritional Aspects of Frozen Poultry and Poultry Products ......................................................... 326
Nutrient Composition of Poultry Meat ..................................................................................... 327 Ingredients Added to Poultry Products ..................................................................................... 328 Proteins ...................................................................................................................................... 329
Quality of Poultry Products ........................................................................................................... 329 Freezing, Packaging, and Thawing ........................................................................................... 329 Frozen Poultry Product Quality during Storage ........................................................................ 330
Carcass Changes during Storage .......................................................................................... 331 Bone Darkening during Storage ........................................................................................... 332 Palatability Changes during Storage .................................................................................... 332 Protein Changes during Storage ........................................................................................... 332
Intrinsic Chemical Reactions .................................................................................................... 332 Protein Denaturation............................................................................................................. 333 Enzyme Activity ................................................................................................................... 333
Concern for Quality and Consumer Acceptance ....................................................................... 333 Preservatives ......................................................................................................................... 333 Acidulants ............................................................................................................................. 333 Antioxidants ......................................................................................................................... 333 Stability and Acceptability ................................................................................................... 334
Protecting the Quality of Frozen Poultry .................................................................................. 334 Product Processing ............................................................................................................... 334 Product Packaging ................................................................................................................ 335 Product Storage .................................................................................................................... 335
Safety of Poultry Products ............................................................................................................. 335 Concern for Food Safety and Quality ....................................................................................... 336 Preventive Measures in the Processing Plant ............................................................................ 337
Phosphate Treatments ........................................................................................................... 337 Chlorine Compounds ............................................................................................................ 338 Ozonation ............................................................................................................................. 338 Organic Acid Treatments ...................................................................................................... 338 Hot Wash Treatments ........................................................................................................... 338 Temperature Treatments ....................................................................................................... 339
Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 339 References ...................................................................................................................................... 339
In the United States, production and consumption of poultry meat have increased more rapidly than than those of other meat sources, since the 1960s. Consequently poultry meat has become one of the meats most commonly chosen by consumers and is generally preferred by health-conscious consumers. In 1993, U.S. production of broilers reached 6.65 billion birds, worth almost $10 billion, and the production of turkeys totaled almost 300 million birds with a value of $2.4 billion. Both these statistics represent new records in production volume. The production, processing, and marketing of such large volumes of highly perishable food products make temperature control critical for this industry. Freezing and frozen storage constitutes the most effective long-term means of maintaining high-quality, safe products for consumers.
