High CO2-modified atmosphere packaging for extension of shelf-life of chilled yellow-feather broiler meat: A special breed in Asia

•Quality changes of chilled yellow-feather chicken during storage were determined.•High CO2-modified packaging was more effective to inhibit microbial growth.•A shelf life extension of 4-6 days was achieved by MAP.•The levels of putrescine might be used as bacterial quality indicator.

This work evaluated the effect of air- and modified atmosphere-packaging (MAP) on the shelf life of chilled yellow-feather chicken, which is a special breed in China. Fresh half-carcasses were stored in air and under modified atmosphere packaging (M-H: 80% CO2/20% N2 and M-L: 30% CO2/70% N2) at 4 °C for up to 12 days. Microbiological, physico-chemical and sensory attributes were measured. The results showed that total viable counts (TVC) reached the limiting value (7.0 log CFU/g) after 4, 10 and 8 days of storage under aerobic, M-H packaging and M-L packaging conditions, respectively, while the sensory values (odor and surface slime data) and the percentage of drip loss were in good agreement with the trend for TVC. During the storage, the total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) content of broiler meat in MAP packaging was lower than that in air-packaging, however, the M-H group had the highest storage losses. In conclusion, high CO2 (80%) concentration packaging prolonged the shelf-life by at least 6 days when stored at 4°C. Our results provide practical information to extend the shelf-life of chilled yellow-feather broiler meat, which will benefit the poultry industry by reducing unnecessary waste.