Monitoring of the quality of modified atmosphere packaged broiler chicken cuts stored in different temperature conditions.: A.: Time-temperature indicators as quality-indicating tools

The applicability of time-temperature indicators (TTIs) for the quality control of modified atmosphere packaged broiler chicken cuts was evaluated at various constant and variable temperature conditions. It was found that microbiological shelf-life could be considerably improved when the cold-chain was carefully maintained. Temperature had a critical effect on the amount of Enterobacteriaceae, proteolytic bacteria, hydrogen sulphide producing bacteria and clostridia, the microbial groups most likely to have an effect on the sensory quality. The results also indicate that TTIs seemed to be useful tools for evaluation of the quality of broiler chicken cuts. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.