Chemical Analysis and Sensory Evaluation of Free Amino Acids and 5'-Inosinic Acid in Meat of Hinai-dori, Japanese Native Chicken.-Comparison with Broilers and Layer Pullets

Abstract

Hinai-dori, (Hinai-dori•~Rhode Island Red), one of the Japanese native chickens, had been appreciated to be palatable and delicious for traditional local dishes. In order to confirm whether Hinai-dori meat is actually tasteful as widely accepted and to identify the taste components of Hinai-dori, sensory evaluation and chemical analysis of Hinai-dori meat were conducted. First, the palatability of Hinai-dori meat was compared with that of broilers by sensory evaluation. Hinai-dori meat was judged to be more palatable. Therefore, out of possible taste components, free amino acids and 5'-inosinic acid (IMP) in meat extracts from 3 strains, Hinai-dori, broilers and layer pullets, were chosen for analyses. No significant differences were detected in glutamic acid and other amino acids among 3 strains. However, the IMP content in Hinai-dori meat, 3.25ƒÊmol/g, was 50% and 60% higher than that in broiler and lay respectvely. Finally, simplified chemical solutions of IMP and/or glutamic acid were employed for sensory evaluation. The solutions simulated to Hinai-dori extracts had more palatability than those of broiler extracts. These results indicate that preference of Hinai-dori to broilers could be accounted for in part by the difference of composition of IMP together with glutamic acid.