DRYING CHARACTERISTICS OF LOW FAT CHICKEN CUBES AND EFFECT OF SODIUM CHLORIDE REPLACEMENT ON PHYSICAL, TEXTURAL, AND REHYDRATION PROPERTIES.

Low fat chicken cubes containing whey protein concentrate and varying salt combinations (NaCl and STPP) were developed and evaluated for rehydration characteristics, shrinkage and texture. The hardness of the samples varied between 0.9 and 2.4 N. Sample containing 2.5% NaCl and 1% STPP exhibited good textural properties. Lewis & Modified Page models gave satisfactory prediction of hot air drying data (R2 > 0.98) for varying thickness at 70 °C. The prediction accuracy was higher for Lewis model at low sample thickness. The sample with 0.5 cm thickness, containing 2.5 % NaCl and 1% STPP was found to have minimum drying time (6h) and good rehydration characteristics The bulk density, pH and aw values were 0.413g/cm3, 5.53 and 0.273 respectively. Low fat chicken cubes had a shelf life of 12 months at ambient conditions.