To improve the quality of retorted ginseng chicken soup (samgyetang), the effects of three different treatments, including emulsifier addition (T1), emulsifier addition/precooking (T2) and emulsifier addition/precooking/washing (T3), were investigated. T2 and T3 treatments showed a better quality with significant diminutive effect (P < 0.05) on the fat content of breast meat (11.29 and 19.35%, respectively) as well as broth (29.69 and 45.31%, respectively) compared with that of the control. The CIE L* values of the breast meat significantly increased, whereas CIE a* and b* values of porridge and broth decreased compared with those of the control (P < 0.05). Furthermore, all treatments significantly resulted in smaller fat droplet particles on the broth and increased the pH values of all breast meat, porridge and broth samples (P < 0.05). Based on the overall acceptability results from the sensory evaluation, T2 was identified as the best method to improve the quality of samgyetang.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSThis research would have practical applications in the reduction of fat content in meat and broth of retorted soups like samgyetang. The results indicate that combination of emulsifiers and precooking could improve the quality of samgyetang without sacrificing its flavor. In addition, emulsifier addition on this experiment produced smaller fat droplets compared with the control group. From this point of view, it is recommended to use emulsifiers and precooking combination treatment to decrease the fat content of the final product, increasing flavor and imparting small fat droplets of broth, which is favored by the consumers.