Impacts of Gamma-irradiation Sterilization on Kung Pao Chicken and Shelf-life Prediction

Kung Pao Chicken (KPC) is a famous traditional Chinese dish that has garnered widespread acclaim and popularity globally. The main purpose of the study was to develop a convenient and delicious KPC, thus the impact of different irradiation doses of sterilization and retort sterilization on the quality of KPC was assessed through sensory quality, texture, color, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values and microbial properties. The shelf-life of KPC subjected to 15 kGy irradiation was predicted using an Arrhenius model based on total volatile basic nitrogen (TVBN), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) at storage temperatures of 35 ℃, 45 ℃, and 55 ℃. The results indicated that KPC irradiated at 15 kGy achieved the highest sensory score, exhibited the highest colorimetric a* value, but maintained a TBARS value within the upper limit of 1.5 mg/kg. During the storage, it was concluded that the sensory scores of KPC stored at different temperatures decreased with the extension of the storage time, while the TVB-N value and TBARS content increased significantly. The shelf-life prediction model was established based on TVB-N. The predicted shelf-life of microwave KPC at temperature of 25 ℃ was 26 days, and that at temperature of 4 ℃ was 61 days. Gamma-ray irradiation is an effective method for extending the storage period of KPC, and irradiation at dosage of 15 kGy was demonstrated to be an effective sterilization method. The shelf-life of microwave KPC at different temperatures can be calculated by this prediction model.