Journal of food science and technology(Iran)

Journal of food science and technology(Iran)

Technological Valorization of Spent Laying Hen Meat by Producing a Functional Pastirma Fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum.

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Mustafa Adnan Idan 1
Ali Ahmed Khalaf 2
Athmar A. Ali 3
Mohammed Sabeeh Majeed 4
1 Food Science Department, Agriculture College, University of Misan - Misan, Ira
2 Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Kut-Technical Institute, Middle Technical University Iraq
3 Ministry of Education, General Directorate Vocational Education, Basrah, Iraq
4 Al-Manara College for Medical Sciences, Maysan, Iraq.
10.48311/fsct.2026.118170.82973
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to technologically enrich spent laying hen meat through the processing of the meat into a functional Pastirma, and the impact of the Lactobacillus plantarum as a starter culture on the quality, safety, and sensory properties of the final product. T1 (control, spontaneous fermentation) and T2 (inoculated with 1 × 10 6 CFU/g L. plantarum) and T3 (inoculated with 1 × 10 7 CFU/g L. plantarum) were used to process spent hen meat into Pastirma. Samples were analyzed during ripening for microbiological safety (Total Viable Counts, Yeasts and Molds), physicochemical (pH, lipid oxidation through MDA), proteolysis index and sensory (color, aroma, tenderness, general acceptability). Inoculation with L. plantarum (T2 and T3) was found to greatly reduce the acidification process and reached a lower final pH (4.1-4.3) than the control (4.7) which was considered to be effective in reducing spoilage microorganisms. The antioxidant activity was also seen in the starter culture, which decreased the lipid oxidation (low MDA values). More importantly, T3 had the highest proteolysis index, which was directly correlated with a significant improvement in meat tenderness. Accordingly, T2 and T3 scored enormously higher on sensory tenderness, aroma, and overall acceptability scores compared to the control. Lactobacillus plantarum (and especially at the concentration of 1 × 107 CFU/g) is a very effective biotechnological method to address the textural challenges of spent hen meat.
Keywords
Spent Laying Hen Meat
Technological Valorization
Pastirma
Lactobacillus plantarum
Starter Culture
Functional Food
Meat Tenderness

Subjects

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