The Application of Apple Powder to Enhance Quality in Chicken Meat Products

Recently, manufacturers have been developing new technologies to produce natural meat products, the main idea of which is the enrichment of food products with bioactive compounds obtained from agricultural by-products [1-2]. Apple by-products (Apl-BP) improve the functionality, affordability, and nutritional value of animal origin foods. This study aims to determine the effect of adding different amounts (5–30%) of Apl-BP to minced chicken meat products (ChMP). The focus is on the influence of ChMP on the main quality parameters and changes in the concentrations of various chemical compounds both before and after heat treatment. In addition, the study investigates the sensory acceptability and emotional expressions of consumers. We investigated that adding 5–15% Apl-BP maintained ChMP quality: the additive reduced cooking losses and improved color parameters (increased lightness, reduced redness and yellowness) after cooking, as well as increased the amount of free essential amino acids, while non-essential free amino acids were significantly affected by both Apl-BP concentration and processing method (p ≤ 0.05). The concentration of biogenic amines did not exceed toxic levels, and the addition of Apl-BP reduced the malondialdehyde concentration in ChMP. A broader spectrum of volatile compounds and fatty acid profiles was observed in both thermally treated and untreated ChMP samples. To conclude, the results showed that 15% Apl-BP is suitable for ChMP enrichment as it improves the overall acceptability of the final product and increases the content of free essential amino acids in it.