RESULT

Table 1.0 Physical evaluation of canned chicken.

Attribute 0 day 7 days

Odour Good Savoury
Colour Light yellow brown Partially light brown
Texture (flesh) Soft and stiff Soft and crushed
Texture (bones) Good Soft and cracked
Taste Good Stuffy ( bad )
Overall Good and nice Bad ( ruined )

DISCUSSION

Canning is a very safe method for preserving food if it is done in a proper

method. In this experiment, three steps were done to achieve proper canning of
chicken. The first step was preparation of sauce. A readymade Brahims kurma was
used as the sauce for the chicken. The readymade Brahims kurma was heated up as
per instruction in the packaging. Later on, the chicken along with some potatoes was cut
into small pieces, washed and cleaned to remove any soil and potential contaminant.
The chicken pieces and potatoes were steamed until it was half cooked. Lastly, canning
process was done where the prepared chicken pieces and potatoes was placed into the
can with approximately ratio 1:2 to the size of the can. The prepared hot readymade
Brahims kurma was poured into the can till three quarter of the can is filled as it can
explode due to high pressure. The can was closed and left for a few minutes where it is
called hot filled technique. The can was seamed and autoclaved at 121C for 30
minutes. This temperature can only be reached using the pressure method
(Anonymous, 2008). Clostridium botulinum is the key of cause pressure processing is
important (Anonymous, 2008). Even though the bacterial cells are destroyed at high
temperatures, they produce spores that can survive high temperatures (Anonymous,
2008). The spores grow easily in low acid foods, where there is no presence of air, such
as in canned low acidic foods like meats and vegetables (Anonymous, 2008). The cans
were cooled down and external surface of the cans were wiped as there was droplets of
water. Those cans were stored for a week and physical evaluation was done on the 7 th
day.

From Table 1.0, it can be seen there are difference in the physical attribute of the
canned chicken. On the 7th day, the overall evaluation of the chicken was bad whereas
on the first day it was good and nice. This is because wrong heat sterilization
parameters were used. It did not deactivate all spores in the chicken which is called
under-sterilization (Food and Agriculture Organization, 2016). One more reason for the
occurrence of feasible microorganisms in canned food may be recontamination due to
errors in the containers. This is because the cans were washed using tap water and left
to air dry. These can cause contamination as the cans were not sterilized before filling it
with the chicken. In some cases microorganisms enter into the cans after sterilization
during the cooling phase in cold water or during handling and distribution of the cans.

Last but not least, processing of chicken and preserving the chicken using
canning method was used in this experiment. Therefore, canned chicken can be
produced in a safer way by achieving a few safer methods in processing and
preserving.

REFERENCES

1. Anonymous. (2008). Canning Basics For Preserving Food. Retrieved December

29, 2016, from http://www.canning-food-recipes.com/canning.htm
2. Food and Agriculture Organization. (2016). CANNING / STERILIZATION OF
MEAT PRODUCTS. Retrieved December 29, 2016, from
http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/ai407e/AI407E22.htm