Effect of NaCl Concentration and Cooking Temperature on the Color and Pigment Characteristics of Presalted Ground Chicken Breasts

This study was conducted to determine the effects of NaCl concentration and cooking temperature on the color and pigment characteristics of presalted ground chicken breasts. Four treatments with different salt concentrations (0%, 1%, 2%, and 3%) were prepared and stored for 7 d prior to cooking. Each sample was cooked to four endpoint temperatures ($70^{\circ}C$, $75^{\circ}C$, $80^{\circ}C$, and $85^{\circ}C$). The salt concentration affected the color and pigment properties of the cooked ground chicken breasts. As the salt concentration increased, the cooking yield and residual nitrite content also increased. However, the samples with 1%, 2%, and 3% NaCl showed similar nitrosyl hemochrome and total pigment contents. Among the products containing salt, the samples with 3% NaCl showed the lowest percentage myoglobin denaturation (PMD) and the lowest CIE $a^*$ values. The cooking temperature had limited effects on the pigment properties of cooked ground chicken breasts. The oxidation-reduction potential and residual nitrite contents increased with cooking temperature, while the PMD, nitrosyl hemochrome, total pigment contents and CIE $a^*$ values were similar in the samples cooked at different temperatures. These results indicated that the addition of up to 2% salt to ground chicken breasts and storage for 7 d could cause the pink color defect of cooked products. However, the addition of 3% NaCl could reduce the redness of the cooked products.