Study on the variability of the physicochemical quality of meat products during their sales distribution in Benin : case of the imported turkey wings

Abstract

The study highlights the potential impacts of the sale distribution modes of meat products on the physicochemical properties (temperature, acid value of fat, the content of volatile substances, volatile basic nitrogen and moisture) of poultry meat. The analysis was made on 30 samples of frozen turkey wings at the stages of storage at wholesalers (France, Netherlands, Asia), at semi-wholesalers and at retailing. It is found that the storage temperature varies from –18° C at wholesalers to +21 °C at retailers. The Total Volatile Basic Nitrogen (TVB-N) varies from 12.56 ±0.04 to 23.05 ± 0.01 mg/100 g, the acid value of the fat is within the range 0.14 ± 0.01 to 0.28 ±0.00 mg/g, while the content of moisture and volatile substance ranged from 61.63 ± 0.15 to 79.88± 0.03 %. The freezer burn has occurred sometimes up to 5 points. At the levels of wholesalers and semi-wholesalers the results remained within the recommended norms. However, at retailers a fluctuation in parameters is observed, especially for the TVB-N and the acidity values of fats that increased gradually. Consequently, retailers must be provided with insulated ice boxes or fitted with eutectic plates to ensure a better quality of frozen products.