ISSUE FOCUS FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE October 2025 39 idative processes in the living animal as well as post-mortem. Appearance is one of the most critical quality attributes that drives consumer purchasing decisions and is often the only feature assessable when meat is displayed in sealed packaging at retail. Appearance includes both physical characteristics and color, which are key indicators of perceived freshness (Kennedy et al., 2004). This perception is primarily associated with the characteristic pink color of chicken meat. The inclusion of different olive bioactive compounds has shown minimal to no impact in the development of meat color during display in film packaging (Figure 1). The most notable effect observed is a slight reduction in lightness, although values remain high throughout the display period up to 8 days of display, consistent with the typical appearance of light-colored meat. Longer display times are not considered safe due to microbial spoilage. Importantly, redness and yellowness are hardly affected by the inclusion of these compounds, indicating that consumer purchasing decisions are unlikely to be negatively influenced by color changes. An important quality attribute in chicken meat is Water Holding Capacity (WHC), which is directly influenced by pH. A key indicator of freshness is the minimal presence of exudated water during retail display. After the animal’s death, the pH of the meat drops from an initial value just above 7 due to post-mortem anaerobic glycolysis, during which muscle glycogen is converted into lactic acid. Normal pH values for chicken meat typically range from 5.7 till 6.1. Various factors, such as pre-slaughter handling, stress or storage temperature, can affect this post-mortem process. A rapid decline in pH to values below 5.7 while the carcass is still warm can result in the development of pale, soft and exu-
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