Assessment of Physical and Microbiological Characteristics of Quail Meat During Storage

Abstract

Analysis of physical and microbiological quality of quail meat samples was carried out during frozen storage (-18±2oC) of 90 days period. Slaughtering of six weeks old broiler quails was done hygienically. Quail meat samples were packed in low density polyethylene pouches taking best possible care to avoid contamination and stored at -18 ± 2°C for 90 days. These stored samples were evaluated for physical properties and microbiological quality after thawing at 4 ± 1oC for 12 h at an interval of 15, 30, 60 and 90 days. It was observed that drip loss increased, while the extract release volume (ERV) decreased with progression of the storage period. Similarly standard plate count, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and psychrophilic count decreased with advancement of frozen storage period. While all of the meat samples were found to be negative for Salmonella spp. It is concluded from the study that quail meat can be safely stored in frozen state for up to 3 months without any deterioration.