Effect of a Partially Purified Actinidin Enzyme from Kiwi Fruit on the Chemical Properties of Aged Chicken Meat

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the actinidin enzyme which is partially purified from kiwi fruit, on the chemical properties of aged chicken meat. Thirty-five old laying hens of the Lohmann Brown breed at the age of 64 weeks, with an average weight of 1.700 kg were used. After slaughtering, skin and intestines were removed, cleaned, and breast meat was cut into small pieces. The experiment had ten treatments, one of which was the control, and nine treatments included some concentrations (0.25, 0.75, and 1.00) % of the partially purified actinidin enzyme for three incubation periods (120, 240, and 360) minutes. The obtained results showed that there was a significant decrease in the pH value at the level of probability (p≤0.05) between the treatments when the enzymatic extract of kiwi fruit was added to the aged chicken meat at three different concentrations for three incubation periods. The results also indicated a significant decrease (p≤0.05) in the percentage of ash, fat and protein compared with control samples, and that the percentages of ash in samples treated with concentrations of (0.25, 0.75, and 1.00%) of actinidin enzyme for the three incubation periods (120, 240, and 360) minutes decreased compared to the control sample.