Evaluation of freshness of chicken meat during cold storage using a portable electronic nose

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the freshness of chicken meat during 19 d of storage at 4° C using a portable electronic nose. The portable system consisted of six different metal oxide sensors and a moisture sensor. Determination of volatile compounds with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, total bacterial count (TBC), and 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) monitored the quality change of the samples. These results were compared with the results measured by the electronic nose system. TBC and TBARS measurements could be separated into five groups and seven groups, respectively, among ten groups. According to principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis with the signals of the portable electronic nose, the sample groups could be clearly separated into eight groups and nine groups, respectively, among ten groups. The portable electronic nose demonstrated potential for evaluating freshness of stored chicken.