Effects of marinating with sourcherry, pomegranate, orange, grape or apple juice on the chemical, sensorial and textural properties of chicken breast meat

The effects of marination with sourcherry, pomegranate, orange, grape, or apple juice on the chemical and sensory properties of chicken breast meat were investigated. Textural and sensory properties of samples were evaluated. Marination affected (p<0.05) juiciness, flavor, tenderness of the samples as judged by the sensory panel. The highest juiciness rating was given to samples marinated with sourcherry juice whereas the highest tenderness rating was given to samples marinated with grape juice. Panelists did not like the flavor of marinated samples and found it to have a foreign taste. Marination had an effect (p<0.05) on hardness, springiness, and chewiness of the samples as determined by Texture Profile Analysis (TPA). Samples marinated with pomegranate juice had the lowest hardness (highest tenderness) values while those marinated with sourcherry juice had the lowest chewiness (easy to chew) values. No significant correlation coefficients (p>0.05) was found between sensory panel values and TPA values. This can be attributed to the fact that samples having foreign taste were discriminated against by the panelists. Acidic marination was found to be useful for improving eating quality of chicken breast in our study. However, foreign taste imparted by acidic juices needs to be overcome. This problem may be solved by using different food flavorings.