Influence Of Packaging Materials and Duration Of Storage On Some Quality Attributes Of Cold Stored Nigerian Dwarf Buck Limb Muscle (Chevon)

ABSTRACT

The influence of some quality parameters for African dwarf buck meat was investigated at - 1 7°C aid 1 5 days of storage. The decrease in the moisture loss which is proportional to weight loss of buck meat limb muscles was proportional to cold storage time, and it was higher in unpackaged samples than in packaged meat. Prolonged cold storage resulted in initial decrease of PH which later gradually increased as time increased and their color became darker with aluminum foil developing an unpleasant darker color. These undesirable qualitative changes proceeded at a slower rate in packaged meat, compared with unpackaged samples except color changes. Appearance is a primary factor in determining the quality attribute that attracts consumers to fresh product. The variation in other quality attributes was not statistically significant at 95% confidence level except color variations