Proximate Composition Of Result Carried Out On Processed Chicken Meat

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

PROXIMATE COMPOSITION

The proximate composition of processed chicken meat samples is presented in Table 1.

The moisture content of the processed chicken meat samples ranged from 56.05 to 72.43% with significant differences (p<0.05) existing among the samples. Control sample had the highest moisture content than processed samples. The values obtained in this study corresponds with the values (55.67 – 59.15%) reported by Osakue et al. (2018) for ready-to-eat (RTE) fried chicken parts and 48.50 to 53.90% reported by Rashmi et al. (2013) for quality characteristics of battered and fried chicken. Moisture content in food is very important because it enhances the storage stability. Low moisture inhibits the survival and growth of microorganisms in food products (Onimawo and Akubor, 2012). Among processed chicken meat, boiled samples had the highest moisture content while fried samples had the lowest moisture content. Meat generally is a perishable food material due to its high moisture content. Boiling in hot water additionally adds to this moisture content through water absorption which explains the high moisture in boiled samples. Fried samples had the lowest moisture level. Frying has been reported to reduce moisture content of food materials by extracting and vaporizing of available free water. Frying reduces the moisture in food. As reported by Kariuki (2018), when frying food, the hot frying fat that has penetrated into it, replaces part of the water it contains, making the food considerably more palatable. Gao et al. (2003) suggested that when the moisture content of fresh meat is reduced to 20%, the possibility of microbial growth (bacteria, yeast and mould) will be grossly minimized while fungi will be inhibited at a 15% moisture level.

Table 1: Proximate composition of processed chicken samples (%).

a-d: Values are means ± s.d of duplicate determination. Mean value in the same column but with different superscript are significantly different (P<0.05).

The moisture content of the samples exceeded these limits and is generally high which may partly be associated with the high protein content of the samples. The hydrophilic nature of their proteins enable their association with moisture in foods (Butt and Batool, 2010). The moisture contents of the chicken meat samples were above 10% which suggests increased chances of spoilage by microorganisms and consequently reduced shelf life (Ariahu et al., 1999) at ambient temperature (Offor, 2015). Food products with high moisture content are susceptible to microbial attack leading to spoilage and therefore have limited shelf life (Hassan and Umar, 2014).

The ash content of a food product is an indication of its mineral content and quality. The ash content of the chicken meat samples ranged from 0.77% to 3.41%. Processed meat samples had higher ash content than the control sample. There were significant differences (p<0.05) among the samples which revealed the influence of processing methods on the sample composition. Smoked samples had the highest ash content followed by fried samples (3.29%) while control samples had the lowest content. The values obtained in this study for smoked and fried samples corresponds with the values (3.06 – 3.88%) reported by Osakue et al. (2018), 3.22 – 3.54% reported by Saguy and Dana [19] and 3.20 to 3.70% reported by Rashmi et al. (2013). The mineral content of chicken meat includes calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium and some trace elements like zinc, iron etc. The high ash recorded for smoked samples could be attributed to exposure to smoke from woods or coals used for the smoking process. More so, high ash content of fried samples might have been influenced by the presence of minerals in the edible oils used for frying. Saguy and Dana, stated that during deep frying, there is less loss of water soluble vitamin, possibly absorbtion of fat soluble vitamin and retention of nutrients such as minerals, carbohydrate and proteins. The variable results of this study are in line with the findings of Huss, who observed that, besides the influence of the processing methods, the chemical composition of animal tissue which varies from species to species as well as from individual animals depending on age, environment and season may have influence the ash content of the samples. The processing of raw chicken meats into processed products alters the ash content of the meat as reported by Ogunsola and Omojola (2008), and Olagunju and Taiwo (2020). The highest value recorded for smoked chicken meat samples signifies possibly, the presence of a higher amount of mineral content compared to other studied processed chicken meat samples. Hence, its value is important in estimating the caloric value of a food product  (Kayode et al., 2015). The crude fat content of the samples ranged from 2.54 to 7.97%. The fat content of the fried chicken meat samples is significantly (p<0.05) lower than the fat contents of boiled and smoked samples. This outcome contradicts the findings of Osakue et al. (2018) who obtained a fat content of 7.87 – 8.72% for ready-to-eat (RTE) fried chicken parts as well as the values (14.40 to 19.70%) reported by Rashmi et al. (2013) for battered and fried chicken. Osakue et al. (2018) reported high fat content of fried chicken and opined that the high fat might have been as a result of the absorption of fat during frying in oil  since edible oils are rich in fat and may have possibly increase the fat content of fried chicken. Also,  Nobilli et al. (2017) stated that during frying, the polarity of oil increases and theinterfacial tension decreases, hence, increasing the fat content of fried products. But the fat content of this study for fried chicken samples is surprisingly low. Generally, the higher lipid content of smoked and boiled samples might result to decreased keeping quality as a result of increased susceptibility to rancidity (Ikujenlola et al., 2013). However, the samples may have the capability of serving as a viable vehicle for fat soluble vitamins, improving mouth-feel and palatability (Coppin and Pike, 2011), impart tenderness, moistness, mealy, flavour, colour and anti-staling qualities to the samples (Ayele et al., 2017).

A significant difference in crude fiber content (p<0.05) was observed among the chicken meat samples and the values obtained are quite low. The values ranged from 0.12% to 0.30% and was lower than 4.30% to 7.24% reported by Adomeh (2018) and 1.10% to 4.00% reported by Kayode et al. (2018). Fried samples had the highest crude fibre content followed by smoked samples. Control samples had the lowest content which is not significantly different from boiled samples. Notably, fibre content in chicken meat is inversely proportional to the moisture content Afolabi et al. (1994). The lower the moisture content, the higher the fibre content. The moisture content of the chicken meat samples in this study follows the pattern; control >boiled > smoked > fried while the crude fibre content of the samples follows the order; fried > smoked > boiled >control. Hence, the higher crude fibre content of fried and smoked samples could be adduced to the reduction in the moisture content that increases its dryness which in the long run influenced the fibre content of the finished product. Decrease in certain diseases such as diverticulosis and colonic has been associated with increased fibre consumption (Enwere, 1998). Dietary fibre acts as bulking agent and thus, increases intestinal motility and wet faecal mass of faeces (Enwere, 1998). These effects help in reducing diseases of the colon (Enwere, 1998). Some reports showed that some plant fibres can lower serum cholesterol (Wardlaw and Hampin, 2007). The low values obtained in this study may imply that, the chicken meat samples may not contribute significantly to the dietary fibre needs of the human body.

The protein content of the chicken meat samples ranged from 13.96% to  17.53%. Boiled samples had the highest protein fried and smoked chicken meat samples did not differ significantly (p<0.05) from each other but they were lower than control sample which suggests that frying and smoking may not impact on the protein content of chicken meat differently. Contrary to the findings of Adomeh (2018), Kayode et al. (2018) and Falmata and Mamudu (2021) who reported protein content values of 48.25% to 49.89%, 35.30% to 45.20% and 62.36% to 63.11% respectively. The values obtained in this study are significantly (p<0.05) lower which may be attributed to the variation in the processing methods, varieties, age, sex and demographic influence of the chickens used. However, the protein content obtained in this study was close to the values (17.00% to 18.50%) reported by Rashmi et al. (2013) and is considerably high, which implied that the chicken meat samples might be able to contribute significantly towards achieving the daily human protein requirements, usually about 23-56 g as recommended by Ospina et al. (2012). Protein play vital role in enzymatic catalysis, transport and storage of molecules, immune protection, generation and transmission of nerve impulse, control of growth and differentiation (Anuma, 2008). It helps to build and maintain healthy muscle mass, while also supporting tendon, ligaments and other body-tissue. It also helps to prevent spikes in blood glucose, which is especially important for preventing type 2 diabetes and balancing energy (Ajani et al., 2012).

Carbohydrate content ranged from 3.45 to 18.51%. these values differ significantly (p<0.05) from each other. Control sample had the lowest carbohydrate content while smoked sample had the highest value. Foods rich in carbohydrate provide good amount of energy (Rasheed et al., 2022). Low carbohydrate in food may be due to the level of moisture content. High moisture results to low carbohydrate (Ekpete et al., 2013). This is true for the present study such that control and boiled samples with higher moisture content had the lowest carbohydrate content. Therefore, fried and smoked samples with higher carbohydrate content may supply more energy to the human body when consumed.