title: Impact of broiler processing scalding and chilling profiles on carcass and breast meat yield.
abstract: The effect of scalding and chilling procedures was evaluated on carcass and breast meat weight and yield in broilers. On 4 separate weeks (trials), broilers were subjected to feed withdrawal, weighed, and then stunned and bled in 4 sequential batches (n = 16 broilers/batch, 64 broilers/trial). In addition, breast skin was collected before scalding, after scalding, and after defeathering for proximate analysis. Each batch of 16 carcasses was subjected to either hard (60.0°C for 1.5 min) or soft (52.8°C for 3 min) immersion scalding. Following defeathering and evisceration, 8 carcasses/batch were air-chilled (0.5°C, 120 min, 86% RH) and 8 carcasses/batch were immersion water-chilled (water and ice 0.5°C, 40 min). Carcasses were reweighed individually following evisceration and following chilling. Breast meat was removed from the carcass and weighed within 4 h postmortem. There were significant (P < 0.05) differences among the trials for all weights and yields; however, postfeed withdrawal shackle weight and postscald-defeathered eviscerated weights did not differ between the scalding and chilling treatments. During air-chilling all carcasses lost weight, resulting in postchill carcass yield of 73.0% for soft-scalded and 71.3% for hard-scalded carcasses, a difference of 1.7%. During water-chilling all carcasses gained weight, resulting in heavier postchill carcass weights (2,031 g) than for air-chilled carcasses (1,899 g). Postchill carcass yields were correspondingly higher for water-chilled carcasses, 78.2% for soft-scalded and 76.1% for hard-scalded carcasses, a difference of 2.1%. Only in trials 1 and 4 was breast meat yield significantly lower for hard-scalded, air-chilled carcasses (16.1 and 17.5%) than the other treatments. Proximate analysis of skin sampled after scalding or defeathering did not differ significantly in moisture (P = 0.2530) or lipid (P = 0.6412) content compared with skin sampled before scalding. Skin protein content was significantly higher (P < 0.05) for prescald and soft-scalded skin samples than for hard-scalded or soft or hard-scalded skin samples after defeathering. The hard-scalding method used in this experiment did not result in increased skin lipid loss either before or after defeathering.
authors.affiliation: Poultry Microbiological Safety Research Unit, Richard B. Russell Agricultural Research Center, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Athens, GA 30605 jeff.buhr@ars.usda.gov.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Buhr
authors.affiliation: Marel Stork Poultry Processing Inc., Gainesville, GA 30503.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.affiliation: Poultry Microbiological Safety Research Unit, Richard B. Russell Agricultural Research Center, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Athens, GA 30605.
authors.forename: D V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Bourassa
authors.affiliation: Marel Stork Poultry Processing Inc., Gainesville, GA 30503.
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Caudill
authors.affiliation: Department of Poultry Science, The University of Georgia, Athens 30602.
authors.forename: B H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Kiepper
authors.affiliation: Quality and Safety Assessment Research Unit, Richard B. Russell Agricultural Research Center, USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Athens, GA 30605.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhuang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens / Q000502:physiology*; D003080:Cold Temperature; D005260:Female; D005511:Food Handling / Q000379:methods*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat / Q000032:analysis*; D010369:Pectoralis Muscles / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: broiler processing; chilling; scalding; yield