ARS | Publication request: Effect of three different postmortem electrical stimulation methods on qulity of early-deboned broiler breast meat

Submitted to: Poultry Science Association Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: December 9, 2009
Publication Date: July 11, 2010
Citation: Zhuang, H., Savage, E.M., Lawrence, K.C. 2010. Effect of three different postmortem electrical stimulation methods on qulity of early-deboned broiler breast meat. Poultry Science Association Meeting Abstract.

Interpretive Summary: The present experiment was carried out to evaluate the effects of electrical stimulation (ES) immediately pre-scalding (PS), ES immediately post-defeathering (PD) or PS combined with PD (PSPD) on the quality of early-deboned (2 h) broiler breast muscles, pectoralis (p.) major (fillets) and p. minor (tenders). No stimulation, early-deboned (2 h) and 24 h deboned (24 h) fillets were used for the comparison. The 42-day-old broiler carcasses were electrically stimulated with pulsed current at 200 V for 30s (1min total for PSPD), and breast meat was deboned 2 h postmortem. Quality indicators evaluated were: CIELAB L*, a* and b* color and pH of the raw fillets; Warner-Bratzler (WB) shear force (cooked meat) and cook yields of the fillets and tenders. There were no differences in raw fillet color and pH between the three ES treatments. Effects of different ES methods on meat WB shear force values and cook yields varied with breast muscles. For the fillets, the average WB shear force values of both the PS and PSPD samples, which were not different from each other, were significantly lower than those of the PD samples. There were no differences in cook yields between the PS and PD, or between the PS and PSPD, although cook yield of the PD samples was significantly higher than the PSPD samples. For the tenders, there were no differences in the average shear force values and cook yields between the three ES treatments. Regardless of ES method and muscle type, early-deboned broiler breast meat from ES carcasses required significantly less force to shear than the 2 h control, and more force than the 24 h control. These results indicate that ES can tenderize early-deboned poultry breast muscles; however, the effectiveness of ES tenderization varies with ES method for the fillets. Single PS is more effective in reducing fillet shear values than single PD, and there is no further reduction in shear values with double PSPD compared to the single PS.

Technical Abstract: na