Abstract
The present research investigated the effects of pulsed electric fields (PEF), low PEF (LPEF, 2.5 kV, 200 Hz and 20 mu s) and high PEF (HPEF, 10 kV, 200 Hz and 20 mu s), on the quality of chicken breast at 1 and 4 days post-treatment and on the concentrations of minerals (phosphorus, iron, zinc and potassium) in raw and cooked samples. HPEF increased (P < 0.001) the temperature of the chicken breasts. The shear force of chicken breasts was not affected by treatment and post-treatment storage time and their interaction (P > 0.05). The concentrations of P, K, and Zn were decreased by cooking (P < 0.001) only. The concentration of Fe was not affected by treatment, storage time, or cooking. Both LPEF and HPEF treatments did not have negative effects on the quality of chicken breast, indicating that PEF processing of chicken breast does not have a negative impact on the quality.