A new product: The optimization of chicken roll production with response surface methodology (RSM)

In this study, response surface methodology (RSM) was used for the purpose of create a formulation that could provide optimum quality characteristics of chicken roll developed as a new ready-to-eat chicken meat product. The user defined experimental design was implemented with three-variable and five replications in the center point, and the effects of the different amounts of ingredients that contained in the chicken rolls on the texture, color and cooking loss characteristics of the samples were investigated. Wheat flour (4%-30%), distilled water (30%-65%) and minced chicken (17%-50%) percentages were chosen as independent variables; hardness, adhesiveness, springiness, cohesiveness, gumminess, chewiness, resilience, L*, a*, b* color values and cooking loss were selected as the response. As a result of the analysis of variance (ANOVA), a meaningful model for springiness and cohesiveness values could not be established (p>0.05), but statistically significant models were obtained for all other responses (p<0.05). In consequance of the regression models obtained, the linear, interactions and quadratic effects of the independent variables on each response were determined. For the purpose of optimization, it was preferred that the chicken rolls have the values of minimum hardness, adhesiveness, gumminess, chewiness, b* color value and cooking loss, maximum resilience, L* and a* color values. Depending on the levels of selected quality characteristics, the ingredient percentages that will provide optimum formulation of chicken rolls were suggested as 6% wheat flour, 56% distilled water and 34% minced chicken with the highest desirability level of 0.629. For the purpose of validation, chicken rolls with the suggested optimum formulation were produced and quality characteristics were analyzed. It was determined that there was no statistically significant difference between the obtained experimental analysis results and the predicted results (p<0.05), so that the generated regression models could provide adequate estimation within the applied region of interest. Additionally some physicochemical characteristics of chicken rolls produced with optimum formulation were analyzed in this study. It was determined that pH value of chicken rolls was 5.503 and they had 80.504% moisture, 0.029% salt, 2.241% fat and 10.339% protein content. Keywords: Ready-to-eat food, chicken meat, hydrocolloid, optimization, quality characteristics.