Storage Analysis of Developed Chicken Nuggets by Incorporation of Inulin and Hydroxy Propyl Methyl Cellulose

Abstract

This study focused on assessing the microbiological characteristics and storage stability of chicken nuggets formulated with Inulin and Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose (HPMC) during frozen storage at –18 ± 1°C. Total Viable Count (TVC), coliform and yeast and mould levels were analyzed on 0, 15th, 30th, 45th and 60th days of storage using standard APHA (1984) methods. The control group (T1) recorded a significantly higher initial TVC of 1.64 ± 0.05 log10 CFU/g compared to the treated group (T13), which showed 1.05 ± 0.07 log10 CFU/g (P<0.01). The TVC increased progressively during storage, reaching 3.27 ± 0.01 log10 CFU/g in T1 and 3.21 ± 0.00 log10 CFU/g in T13 by the 60thday, with highly significant differences (P<0.01) except on the 45thday (3.01 ± 0.00 vs. 3.02 ± 0.01 log10 CFU/g; P≥0.05). Coliforms were absent up to the 15thday in both groups, but appeared on the 30thday with counts 1.33 ± 0.03 log10 CFU/g in T1 and 1.09 ± 0.06 log10 CFU/g in T13 (P<0.01), and reached 2.02 ± 0.01 and 1.93 ± 0.01 log10 CFU/g, respectively, by the 60thday (P<0.01). The samples showed no detectable levels of yeast and mould during the early storage period but increased from the 30thday onwards, with T1 showing higher counts (2.37 ± 0.01 log10 CFU/g) than T13 (2.25 ± 0.01 log10 CFU/g) after the storage period (P<0.01). Chicken nuggets containing Inulin and HPMC exhibited significantly lower microbial loads, delayed fungal growth and improved microbiological stability compared to control samples. These findings suggest that the incorporation of Inulin and HPMC effectively enhances the storage life and safety of chicken nuggets subjected to frozen storage conditions.