Degradation of lnosinic Acid in Chicken Muscle During Aseptic Storage and Its Possible Use as an Index of Quality.

摘要

SUMMARY—Analysis of chicken breast and leg muscle stored under aseptic conditions at 0, 5, and 10°C showed that the breakdown of inosinic acid and formation of hypoxanthine depended on storage temperature and time. Over 75 loss of inosinic acid content of both breast and leg muscle occurred in 3–5 weeks at 0°, in 2–3 weeks at 5O and in about 1 week at 10°C. These storage periods correspond to the lengths of time after which quality deterioration has been detected by sensory evaluation. During the same periods of storage, the hypoxanthine content of these muscles increased gradually to a value of 200–400 fig/g of muscle.Since the level of inosinic acid in fresh muscle is fairly constant and related to flavor, the results indicate that an objective method of quality assessment of chicken meat based on inosinic acid content is feasible. A similar test based on the hypoxanthine content is also possible, but not likely to be as satisfactory, because losses occurring as a result of “weeping” and leaching in hypoxanthine content would show an apparent quality that is higher than it should be. On the other hand, an index based on inosinic acid would reflect similar losses by lower