Vietnam tests preserving chicken for 6 months while still fresh

The black chicken of the H'Mong people in the Northwest is a precious breed of chicken used as medicine, but if not preserved properly, the quality of the meat and nutrition will be significantly reduced.

With traditional freezing technology, dehydration or irradiation... there are many limitations. In freezing technology, the process of cooling ice crystals will damage the tissue structure and cannot berecovery andchange the sensory properties of food. Irradiation is not convenient because before exporting frozen chicken abroad, it must be irradiated and kept at a temperature of -17.8 degrees Celsius...

To ensure the quality of exported chicken, the requirement is that after storage, the chicken meat retains its original color, and does not lose vitamins or trace elements (K, Na, Ca...). Nresearch group of VInstitute of Regional Research and Development, Ministry of Science and TechnologyScience and Technology hasCAS (Cell Alive System) preservation test - cell preservation technology to solve this problem.

Since January 2017, the research team includesArchitect Dao Thuy Duong andMs. Ta Thu Hang has selected the modelHmong chicken(weight from 1.2 kg to 1.5 kg) for testing.Indicators of color, fat content, protein, and micronutrients are measured before and after storage.

The results showed that, afterAfter 6 months, black chicken meat preserved with CAS technology had the same color and toughness indexes as the original. The water loss rate only decreased by 2.35%, and the pH index decreased slightly to 5.9.Sensory quality and microbiological indicators ensure food hygiene and safety according to TCVN 7046:2009 on fresh meat.

The project was accepted in December 2017. MSc. Ta Thu Hang, a member of the research team, said that this technology was transferred from Japan (June 2013) and is being tested by the Regional Research and Development Institute on foods and agricultural products.

During the research process, the group also tested defrosting methods (microwave, room temperature, water...) and found that using cold water at 10 degrees Celsius, changing it every 30 minutes for 120 minutes, gave the best meat quality and a low water loss rate.

This success helps businesses and chicken production facilities feel confident when offering products for export to other countries. However, the technology is currently very expensive (over 10 billion VND/ton/day and over 20 billion VND/ton/hour), so it is not easy for businesses to invest without large enough orders.

Ms. Hang said that to support businesses, the Institute for Regional Research and Development can provide services and do outsourcing for businesses when they do not have enough conditions to invest in technology.

How CAS technology works

CAS technology uses a magnetic field, similar to a microwave oven but combined with a cooling system that allows agricultural products to be preserved while maintaining the same cell structure as when they were just harvested.

The system operates on the principle that when the device emits a magnetic field, it creates weak energy that is evenly distributed, loosening the molecules of food cells without breaking the walls and membranes. These cells, together with water molecules, form a mixture that freezes together, thus limiting the freezing condition as in traditional preservation technology.

Depending on the type of food, agricultural products, and seafood, CAS can be used with different magnetic field strengths. To apply this technology, users only need to install CAS equipment or add CAS function to the existing refrigeration system.

CAS's rapid cooling process is divided into 3 stages:

Step 1: Use low energy to limit water molecules from clumping and maintain super cold conditions to accelerate the cooling process.

Step 2: The membranes and cell walls are cooled stably so as not to damage the preserved agricultural products.

Step 3: The refrigerated product when taken out is still guaranteed to be of the same quality as new, and can be preserved for 1-3 years, even 10 years.