Effects of high hydrostatic pressure processing parameters and NaCl concentration on the physical properties, texture and quality of white chicken meat

• NaCl & HHP effects on white chicken meat physical & quality properties were studied.
• HHP treatment did not affect aw of salted samples.
• HHP process maintained lightness &reduced redness of salted raw chicken meat.
• NaCl and HHP interaction improved the overall texture of cooked chicken meat.
• Results can be used for product and process design aiming for NaCl reduction.

The effect of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) conditions (pressures: 0–300 MPa and times: 60–180 s) and sodium chloride (NaCl) concentrations (0–2.5 g/100 g) on physical and quality properties (pH, water activity (aw), expressible moisture (EM), cooking loss (CL), color, and texture) of white chicken meat before and after thermal treatment were investigated. NaCl concentration, HHP treatment and their interaction influenced the properties studied to different extents. The interaction between NaCl and HHP statistically significantly affected pH, but not aw. A combined effect between NaCl addition and HHP in reducing EM was observed at 300 MPa, thus more water was bound to the meat system. Overall, NaCl at lower concentrations along with HHP treatment improved white chicken meat color and texture. HHP process can be used to compensate for the reduction of NaCl in chicken meat with keeping the physical and quality attributes at required levels.Industrial relevanceThe results from this study can be used when developing HHP processes for white chicken meat and its products as an alternative to reducing their salt content while maintaining the physical attributes, ensuring meat functionality and quality.