Processing of cooked marinated chicken breast: Evaluation of the final product and wastewater

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the process of marination of chicken breast, assess the characteristics of the final product (cooked and diced) and determine wastewater generation and composition. Breast fillet samples were marinated, and tumbled at 4 rpm and 540 mmHg for 60 min. Different formulations were prepared by varying the brine (20.15%–9.15% w/w) to chicken breast (79.85%–90.85% w/w) ratio. Wastewater generation decreased from 82.95 to 10.67 m3 t−1 by reducing the proportion of brine used in formulations. Moisture content, protein content, and hardness of final products ranged from 68.97 to 70.43 g 100 g−1, 61.63 to 64.55 g 100 g−1, and 22.52 to 30.06 N, respectively. The standard formulation and that prepared with the lowest brine proportion had similar sensory attributes, indicating that brine reduction is a viable strategy to decrease the volume and organic load of the resulting wastewater, increasing the sustainability of the agroindustrial chain.Practical ApplicationsThe definition of the conditions of tumbling, together with the choice of the best proportion of chicken breast fillet and brine used in the marination of chicken breast fillet, promote the reduction of the volume of wastewater generated by the industry, and, increases its degradability. Moreover, the final product (chicken breast diced and cooked) obtained in the modified process have physical–chemical and sensory properties similar to the conventional product.