Effect of different Sous Vide cooking temperature-time combinations on the physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory properties of turkey cutlet

In this study, the spiced turkey breast meat (hereafter called as turkey cutlet), which is consumed at a low level in Turkey but the nutritional level of which is much closer to the red meat and which is far healthier than the meat, was cooked by means of the Sous Vide technique having many advantages. The effects of different Sous Vide cooking temperature-time combinations (65, 70, 75 °C x 20, 40, 60 min) on the physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory properties of the turkey cutlet samples were determined in detail. Based on the experimental analyzes, as the cooking temperature increased from 65 °C to 75 °C, the values of cooking yield, moisture, a*, and elasticity decreased; but, the values of cooking loss, thiobarbituric acid, pH, hardness, toughness, cohesiveness, and chewiness showed increased. At the same temperatures, as the cooking time increased from 20 to 60 min; the values of the cooking yield, moisture, L*, a*, toughness, adhesiveness and elasticity values decreased but the cooking loss, fat, pH, hardness, propensity, adhesiveness, and chewiness increased monotonously. It was observed in the microbiological analyses that the count of total mesophilic aerobic bacteria decreased approximately by 2 log CFU/g for the samples prepared in each cooking temperature-time combinations. Only in the samples cooked at 65 °C for 20 min, the presence of Listeria spp. was detected. Sensory properties of sous-vide cooked turkey cutlets such as color, brightness, fibery appearance, taste-whole impression, sensorial texture were more preferable at low temperature-time combinations. Considering all the results, it was suggested that longer cooking time at low temperature would be outstanding for product quality and safety.