Shelf life studies of omega-3 fatty acid enriched low-fat chicken meat patties formulated with canola flour and oil

Low-fat omega-3 fatty acid enriched chicken meat patties developed with the incorporation of 2% canola flour (T₁) and 4% canola oil (T₂) were assessed for their aerobic refrigerated (4±1ºC) storage stability on the basis of physico-chemical, microbiological and sensory attributes. The pH and moisture content followed a declining trend throughout the storage period in control and treatments, however highest moisture content was recorded for T₂. TBARS and free fatty acid content increased during storage irrespective to type of product. Standard plate count increased significantly (P<0.05), however remained in the prescribed limits even on 25^th day of storage. Coliforms were not detected in both control and treated during the study. Psychrotrophs and yeast and mold were not detected upto 10 days of storage and thereafter it increased significantly (P<0.05) in all the products. The sensory characteristics except flavour were comparable in control and T₂ initially; whereas it was recorded lowest for T₁. The sensory panelists scored maximum juiciness scores for T₂ even on 25^th day of storage. The overall acceptability was comparable in control and T₂ and significantly better than T₁ on 25^th day of storage. The developed products can be safely stored for 25 days with a slight deterioration in sensory attributes.