title: Effects of stunning duration on quality characteristics of early deboned chicken fillets.
abstract: The objective of this study was to determine effects of electrical stunning duration on quality of broiler chicken fillets. Seventy-two broiler chickens were electrically stunned for 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10 s, slaughtered, and chilled. After 1 h post-mortem, both pectoral muscles were excised and cooked. Cooking loss, pH, cooked color values, and shear values were measured. As stunning time increased, pH and shear values significantly increased. Except for a small but significant increase in yellowness, color values were unaffected by stunning duration. Cooking loss was unaffected by stunning duration. These data indicate that stunning duration can affect post-mortem muscle metabolism as measured by pH change. Therefore, control of the process of slaughtering broilers requires careful regulation of stunning duration.
authors.affiliation: Richard B. Russell Agricultural Research Center, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Athens, Georgia 30604-5677, USA.
authors.forename: L L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Buhr
mesh_terms: D000003:Abattoirs; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens / Q000502:physiology*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005511:Food Handling / Q000379:methods*; D005524:Food Technology / Q000592:standards*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008460:Meat / Q000592:standards*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors