Integrating Novel Food Processing Technologies and Nutritional Strategies into the Assessment of Poultry: Meat Quality and Microbiological Safety

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Meat".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2025) | Viewed by 924

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Food Hygiene and Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: meat quality; meat safety; meat technology; poultry nutrition; microalgae; sustainable animal production

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Guest Editor
Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animal and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, 35020 Legnaro, PD, Italy
Interests: poultry nutrition; poultry production and welfare; meat quality; aquaculture

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Guest Editor
Department of Food Hygiene and Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: meat quality; meat technology; functional meat products; poultry nutrition; sustainable proteins

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleague,

The poultry industry plays a crucial role in addressing the growing demand for high-quality protein due to a rapidly expanding global population. As chicken meat is the most consumed and produced meat globally, it is critical to explore innovative approaches that enhance the efficiency of its production, meat quality, and safety.

Novel food processing technologies, such as high-pressure processing, cold plasma, and smart packaging, are redefining safety and quality standards in poultry. These advancements minimize microbial contamination while preserving the sensory attributes that consumers value. At the same time, nutritional strategies are evolving to meet the dual demands of sustainability and productivity. Precision feeding, alternative protein sources, and functional additives, like probiotics and omega-3-enriched diets, are transforming the nutritional profile of poultry meat while reducing the environmental footprint of its production.

The integration of these technological and nutritional innovations forms a robust framework for sustainable poultry production. By ensuring safety, enhancing meat quality, and addressing environmental concerns, these strategies represent a holistic approach to tackling global food security challenges. This editorial highlights the importance of adopting cutting-edge solutions to sustainably feed a growing world population while maintaining the highest standards in poultry production.

Dr. Marija Bošković Cabrol
Dr. Francesco Bordignon
Dr. Milica Glišić
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • poultry
  • meat quality
  • meat safety
  • nutritional composition
  • processing technologies
  • functional feed ingredients

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

17 pages, 763 KB  
Article
Ultrasound Thawing Optimization as a Novel Strategy to Improve Quality of Slowly Frozen Chicken Breast
by Suelen Priscila Santos, Silvino Sasso Robalo, Monica Voss, Bianca Campos Casarin, Bibiana Alves dos Santos, Renius de Oliveira Mello, Juliano Smanioto Barin, Cristiano Ragagnin de Menezes, Paulo Cezar Bastianello Campagnol and Alexandre José Cichoski
Foods 2025, 14(19), 3446; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14193446 - 8 Oct 2025
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Abstract
Chicken meat is highly consumed worldwide due to its nutritional value, but its high water content and abundance of polyunsaturated fatty acids make it particularly vulnerable to structural and oxidative damage during freezing and thawing. Slow freezing, in particular, generates large ice crystals [...] Read more.
Chicken meat is highly consumed worldwide due to its nutritional value, but its high water content and abundance of polyunsaturated fatty acids make it particularly vulnerable to structural and oxidative damage during freezing and thawing. Slow freezing, in particular, generates large ice crystals that severely impair water-holding capacity (WHC), increase drip loss, promote color deterioration, and intensify protein and lipid oxidation. Innovative thawing strategies are therefore required to mitigate these quality losses. Ultrasound (US) has been successfully applied to accelerate thawing of fast-frozen meat; however, its potential for slowly frozen chicken breast remains poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of US-assisted thawing at two frequencies (25 and 130 kHz), two amplitudes (100% and 60%), and three operating modes (normal, sweep, and degas) on the quality of slowly frozen chicken breast. Conventional thawing required 50 min, yielding WHC of 9.87%, drip loss of 4.65%, free sulfhydryls of 16.38 µmol/g, and ∆E of 3.91. In contrast, the optimized US condition (25 kHz, 100% amplitude, sweep mode) thawed samples in only 18 min, with markedly improved WHC (23.14%), reduced drip loss (3.25%), higher preservation of free sulfhydryls (24.69 µmol/g), and minimal color change (∆E = 3.72). Conversely, less effective parameters (e.g., 130 kHz, 60% amplitude, normal mode) prolonged thawing and compromised quality, with WHC dropping to 9.96% and drip loss increasing to 9.05%. Overall, US reduced thawing time under all conditions, but quality responses depended strongly on the applied parameters. The present findings demonstrate the novelty of optimizing US frequency, amplitude, and mode for thawing slowly frozen chicken breast, highlighting sweep mode at 25 kHz and 100% amplitude as the most effective strategy. Future research should explore its scalability and industrial applicability for poultry processing. Full article
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