Effects of ionizing radiation on mechanically deboned chicken meat during frozen storage

Summary Ionizing radiation was used for the purpose of reducing bacterial contamination in mechanically deboned chicken meat (MDCM). Irradiated and non-irradiated MDCM stored at -18±1 °C, and samples were taken at zero time and at 30-day intervals up to 90 days for 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, sensory and microbiological analyses. The results obtained for the microbiological, sensory and lipid oxidation evaluations, showed that the MDCM samples irradiated with doses of 3.0 and 4.0 kGy were all considered acceptable during 90 days of frozen storage.