Effects of Different Carbon Dioxide Ratio on Volatile Organic Compounds in Fresh Chicken Wings During Storage

To investigate the effects of different ratios of carbon dioxide and nitrogen on volatile organic compounds during storage of fresh chicken wings, the fresh chicken wings were packed with plastic bag and four different modified atmosphere packaging treatments (20% CO₂+ 80% N₂, 30% CO₂+ 70% N₂, 40% CO₂ + 60% N₂, 100% N₂) in this study. The volatile organic compounds of samples were measured via GC-IMS technology. Meanwhile, the microbial counts, pH, and colour were also analysed during storage at 4 ℃, so as to illustrate the effects of different carbon dioxide contents on the formation of volatile organic compounds in fresh chicken wings. Results showed that the microbial counts of control group exceeded the national limitation standard at day 6. At the same time, the peculiar smell was found in the control samples by the sensory evaluation experiment, whereas the spoilage-related odour was not detected in the four modified atmosphere packaging groups. What’s more, the ability to inhibit microorganisms in fresh chicken wings improved with the carbon dioxide ratio increased. GC-IMS analysis results revealed that the modified atmosphere packaging with different carbon dioxide content could significantly influence the volatile organic compounds’ composition in samples.The relative contents of hexanal, 2-methyl-propionate, indole, 2-decyl-ketone, butyric acid and other volatile organic compounds in the control group were significant higher than those of in the other groups (P<0.05) at day 6, and these compounds’ relative contents constantly decreased with the CO₂ ratio increased. Therefore, the spoilage odour of chicken wings can be inhibited by higher concentration of carbon dioxide, and 2-methyl-propionate, indole, 2-decylketone and butyric acids might be associated with the generation of spoilage-related odour in fresh chicken wings. These findings could provide theoretical reference for the development and application of fresh chicken wing preservation technology.