Development and evaluation of restructured chicken rolls incorporated with antioxidant rich fruit pulp

The aim of the present study was to evaluate effect of incorporation of natural anti-oxidant rich fruit pulps viz., plum (Ziziphus mauritiana) and mulberry (Morus alba) separately on physico-chemical, sensory and microbiological qualities of restructured chicken rolls (RCR). Product formulation and processing conditions were standardized and treated as control, where as 10% lean meat was replaced from the formulation with mature plum and mulberry fruit paste and taken as Treatment-I and II respectively. Both T-I and T-II showed significantly lower (P<0.05) pH and cooking yield compared to control. Moisture percentage were comparable among all products where as a decreasing trend was observed for protein, fat percentage and moisture protein ratio. Sensory scores for general appearance, flavor and texture scores were comparable to control. Aerobically packed products were evaluated under refrigeration storage (4±1°C) on 0, 5^th, 10^th and 15^th day for pH, TBARS, microbial counts and sensory parameters. TBARS showed an increasing trend on storage, but it was significantly lower (P<0.05) for both the treatments compared to control throughout the storage period. The total plate count and psychrophilic count increased during storage, but both the treatments showed lower values compared to control. Colour and flavor scores were higher for both the treatments compared to control and were found to be acceptable up to 15^th day of storage without any quality deterioration. The findings showed that anti-oxidant rich fruit pulps (plum and mulberry) can be used to improve the functionality and shelf life of poultry meat products.