ARS | Publication request: TENDERIZATION OF CHICKEN AND TURKEY BREASTS WITH ELECTRICALLY PRODUCED HYDRODYNAMIC SHOCKWAVES

Submitted to: Journal of Meat Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: December 22, 2000
Publication Date: May 15, 2001
Citation: CLAUS, J.C., SCHILLING, J.K., MARRIOTT, N.G., DUNCAN, S.E., SOLOMON, M.B., WANG, H. TENDERIZATION OF CHICKEN AND TURKEY BREASTS WITH ELECTRICALLY PRODUCED HYDRODYNAMIC SHOCKWAVES. JOURNAL OF MEAT SCIENCE. 2001. v. 58. p. 283-286.

Interpretive Summary: Chicken breasts are normally left on the bone for 4-7 hours postmortem (aging) prior to deboning in order to eliminate the unacceptable toughening that occurs if breasts are early deboned. This aging/holding time on the bone is a costly process as it involves additional handling, storage space, refrigeration and results in shrinkage due to purge. Several processes have ebeen evaluated in order to either reduce or eliminate the aging time for breast muscles, however, none to date have demonstrated consistent or applicable improvements. Since explosive generated shockwave processing (HDP) for poultry breasts requires a batch-type process and specialized packaging, an alternative source for shockwave propagation was evaluated. An electrical-based pulsed plasma technology for producing shockwaves of various energy flux densities and sequential energy discharges was evaluated as a possible HDP alternative for treating early deboned chicken breasts. Preliminary tests suggested that electrically produced shockwaves were successful at tenderizing early deboned chicken breasts when deboned breasts were treated after holding for 24 hours.

Technical Abstract: Eighty early deboned (45 min, post mortem) postrigor chicken breasts were exposed (24 h post mortem) to two levels (number of pulse firing networks, PFN; 45 percent energy) of electrically produced hydrodynamic shockwaves (HSW). In addition, 21 turkey breasts (72 h post mortem) were HSW treated (two PFN, 72 percent energy). Samples were water cooked in bags (78 deg C internal). Two PFN's were required to decrease (P<0.05) chicken Warner- Bratzler shear (WBS) force by 22 percent from the control (4.67 kg). WBS force of the HSW treated turkey breast decreased (P<0.05) by 12 percent from the control (3.20 kg). Cooking loss was higher (P<0.05) in the turkey breast portions but not in the chicken breasts. The electrically produced shockwave process has the potential to provide chicken processors with the ability to early debone and produce tender breasts and to provide turkey processors with tenderness-enhanced fillets.