# The ability of chitosan–stearin as an edible coating on the quality of broiler chicken meat during cold storage

## TL;DR

This paper investigates how chitosan–stearin edible coatings can preserve the quality of broiler chicken meat during cold storage.

## Contribution

The study introduces a novel edible coating formulation combining chitosan and stearin for meat preservation.

## Key findings

- Chitosan–stearin coatings significantly affect water content, cooking loss, protein, and fat in broiler meat.
- No E. coli or Salmonella sp. were detected in treated meat samples.
- Coating treatments maintained stable pH and water-holding capacity during storage.

## Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate how well fresh broiler meat may be preserved in cold storage using chitosan–stearin as an edible coating.

A completely randomized design with a 3 x 5 factorial arrangement and three replications was employed. Factor I represented the formula dosage (FD) (FD0 = 0% chitosan + 0% stearin; FD1 = 1.5% chitosan + 1% stearin; FD2 = 3% chitosan + 1% stearin), while Factor II represented storage time (ST) (ST0 = 0 days; ST1 = 3 days; ST2 = 6 days; ST3 = 9 days; ST4 = 12 days).

The results showed that the water content, cooking loss, protein content, and fat content of broiler meat were significantly affected (p < 0.01) by the FD and ST. Nonetheless, no significant difference (p > 0.05) was observed in the meat’s ability to hold water. The broiler meat’s pH was significantly affected (p < 0.01) by the FD, but it was not significantly affected (p > 0.05) by the ST. Furthermore, no treatment underwent testing, which revealed the presence of Escherichia coli and Salmonella sp.

Chitosan–stearin edible coatings with different formula doses FD and ST consistently preserve the quality of fresh broiler meat during cold storage, with average values of water content ranging from 48.97% to 53.73%, water-holding capacity from 17.52% to 34.30%, cooking loss from 10.03% to 33.19%, pH levels from 4.93 to 5.53, protein content from 14.54% to 17.46%, fat content from 20.55% to 24.21%, and no detectable presence of E. coli and Salmonella sp.