title: Effects of broiler carcass scalding and chilling methods on quality of early-deboned breast fillets.
abstract: The impact of scalding and chilling methods on quality of broiler breast fillets (pectoralis major) was evaluated. In 4 replications, 6- to 7-wk-old male and female broilers were slaughtered and scalded either at 60°C for 1.5 min (hard scalding) or 52.8°C for 3 min (soft scalding). Following evisceration, the carcasses were either air-chilled (0.5°C, 120 min) or immersion-chilled in water and ice (79 L/carcass, 0.5°C, 40 min, air agitated). Breast fillets were removed from the carcass within 4 h postmortem. Quality attributes including fillet color (both dorsal-bone and ventral-skin sides), pH, total moisture content, water-holding capacity (drip loss and cook loss), and Warner-Bratzler shear force were determined. Significant interactions between replication and scalding were found for pH, ventral side redness (a*) value, and cook loss and between replication and chilling for pH and ventral side a* and yellowness (b*) values. There were no interactions (P > 0.05) between chilling and scalding methods for any of the measurements. Immersion chilling resulted in higher (P < 0.05) ventral side lightness (L*) values, dorsal side b* values, drip loss, cook loss, and shear force compared with air chilling. No significant differences (P > 0.05) between the 2 scalding methods were observed for any of the quality attributes. These results indicate that broiler carcass chilling method has a much greater impact on quality of breast meat than scalding method and that the influence of chilling on breast meat quality is independent of scalding treatment.
authors.affiliation: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Russell Research Center, 950 College Station Road, Athens, GA 30605, USA. hong.zhuang@ars.usda.gov
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhuang
authors.forename: Brian C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Bowker
authors.forename: R Jeff
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Buhr
authors.forename: Dianna V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Bourassa
authors.forename: Brian H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Kiepper
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens; D003080:Cold Temperature; D003296:Cooking; D005260:Female; D063427:Food Quality; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat / Q000592:standards*; D008462:Meat-Packing Industry / Q000379:methods*; D010369:Pectoralis Muscles / Q000737:chemistry; D013997:Time Factors