Effect of modified atmosphere packaging on the quality characteristics and bacterial community succession of super-chilled chicken meat in biopreservation

Microbial contamination and growth play an important role in the spoilage and quality loss of chicken meat. This study, therefore, aims to explore the effect of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on the quality characteristics and bacterial community succession of chicken meat in biopreservation under superchilling (−1 °C) conditions. In Group 3 (15% O₂/30% CO₂/55% N₂), the result revealed an enhancement in color, while reducing the total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), pH, total viable count (TVC), Pseudomonas count, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) count, and Enterobacteriaceae count were found in Group 1 (30% CO₂/70% N₂) in comparison to the control (CON) during 30 d of storage. The MAP chicken meat had a more intricate bacterial succession process than the CON, mainly because MAP can prolong the lag phase of microbial growth, thus inhibiting the growth of most microorganisms. During the entire storage period, Pseudomonas was the predominant bacterial flora of CON, while it was significantly inhibited in the MAP groups, with Serratia and Delftia being the most abundant. These results indicate that Group 1 was superior to other groups in preventing bacterial development and maintaining steady quality traits of chicken meat during the 30 d of storage period.