Quality Changes and Shelf Life Prediction of Xinjiang Pepper Chicken Legs

In order to investigate the quality changes during the storage period and predict the shelf life of Xinjiang pepper chicken legs, this study focused on pH value, color, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), total viable count, coliform bacteria, and sensory attributes as evaluation criteria. Accelerated degradation tests were conducted to examine the quality changes of the chicken legs at different storage temperatures (35 ℃ and 45 ℃). The shelf life endpoint was based on a sensory score of 70 points or a total bacterial count close to national standards and to predict the shelf life at room temperature (25 ℃). The results showed that with the continuous extension of storage time, the pH value of pepper chicken legs at different storage temperatures first decreased and then increased, and the overall L^* value showed a downward trend. The a^* value, b^* value, TBARS value, TVB-N content, and total bacterial count all showed an upward trend, while the sensory score continued to decline. During the storage period, the change rate at 45 ℃ was higher than 35 ℃. At 35 ℃ storage temperature, the theoretical shelf life was 24 days, and at 45 ℃ storage temperature, the theoretical shelf life was 9 days, and there was an unacceptable loss of sample quality at the end of the shelf life. According to the Q₁₀ model, Q₁₀=2.6 was calculated, and the theoretical shelf life was predicted to be 62 days under room temperature (25 ℃) conditions.