Effects of Storage Time on Quality Characteristics of Frozen Turkey Meat

The samples were stored at -18oC and undergone microbial analysis, chemical characteristics and sensory evaluation at 2-month intervals. Mean bacterial loads and coliform counts were 7.1×10 7 ±2.0×10 6 and 1.9×10 7 ±7.1×10 6 CFU/g. In this study, frozen storage was more effective than either treatment alone at decreasing total and coliform counts. Microbial analysis indicated that freezing storage had a significant effect (p<0.05) on the reduction of microbial loads. Frozen storage of samples months had no significant effect on their Total Volatile Nitrogen (TVN) contents during two-month storage, while storage more than 2 months significantly increased the PV and TVN for samples. Storage of packed meat under frozen condition enhanced product shelf life for 2 months without undesirable and detrimental effects on its sensory acceptability.