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Effects of the incorporation of β-glucans in chicken breast during storage.

β-glucans are cereal-derived soluble fiber compounds that elicit health benefits when consumed in amounts of 0.75 g/serving. The use of β-glucans in whole muscle meat products, such as chicken breast, is unexplored and needs clarification at a discovery level. The objective of this study was to evaluate the incorporation of β-glucan in the whole muscle chicken breast and identify changes in physical, chemical, textural, microbiological, and thermal properties during 9 D of aerobic storage at refrigeration temperatures. Treatments were 1) control (no salt or β-glucan added; CON), 2) salt solution (2% NaCl and 0.2% phosphate curing solution; SALT), 3) β-glucan solution (1.5% β-glucan; βG), and 4) combination of salt and β-glucan solutions (2% NaCl, 0.2% phosphate, and 1.5% β-glucan; SALT+βG). The target injection level was 20%, however the average uptake level was 8.15%. Color, pH, shear force, and bacteria count were minimally affected by treatment during the 9 D of aerobic storage at 4°C. Cooking loss (P < 0.01) was greater in CON samples compared to all other treatments indicating the presence of salt or fiber or both improved water retention. The β-glucan concentration in uncooked chicken following injection was 0.125 g/100 g product and 0.133 g/100g product in βG and SALT+βG treatments, respectively. Following cooking, the β-glucan concentration was 0.010 g/100g product and 0.004 g/100g product in βG and SALT+βG treatments, respectively. There was no storage day effect (P = 0.42) for the β-glucan concentration in cooked product, therefore it was assumed that during cooking, β-glucan concentration in whole muscle injected products was lost. Finally, thermal behavior measured with a differential scanning calorimeter indicated that there were only minimal differences, although some significant, among treatments in this study. Overall, the application of β-glucan injection in whole chicken breast was not detrimental to product quality and actually improved water retention levels. However, new methods need to be developed for the incorporation of β-glucan in injected whole muscle meat product so that β-glucan can be retained during and after cooking.