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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Athens, Georgia » U.S. National Poultry Research Center » Quality and Safety Assessment Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #340336
Research Project: Assessment and Improvement of Poultry Meat, Egg, and Feed Quality

Location: Quality and Safety Assessment Research Unit

Title: Effect of the woody breast condition on the color characteristics of cooked broiler breast meat

Author
item Zhuang, Hong
item Bowker, Brian

Submitted to: European Symposium on Quality of Poultry Meat
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/3/2017
Publication Date: 9/3/2017
Citation: Zhuang, H., Bowker, B.C. 2017. Effect of the woody breast condition on the color characteristics of cooked broiler breast meat. Proceedings of the XXIII European Symposium on Quality of Poultry Meat. 55-56.

Interpretive Summary: n/a

Technical Abstract: The woody breast condition (WBC) affects texture quality of cooked broiler breast fillets but WBC effects on meat color are relatively unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of WBC on the cooked color characteristics of breast meat. Broiler breast fillets were collected from a commercial plant and sorted into normal and severe WBC categories based on palpable hardness and rigidity throughout the breast fillets. Samples were cooked to 76 C. Color (CIELAB L*a*b*) on both the ventral and dorsal surfaces of cooked fillets was measured using a Minolta spectrophotometer CM-700d. On the ventral surfaces (skin-side), WBC caused an increase in the a* and b* values, but a decrease in the L* values by approximately 12 units. Similar relationships were observed on the dorsal surfaces (bone-side), but the absolute color value differences were smaller than on the ventral surfaces. In WBC fillets L* values on the dorsal surfaces were approximately 1 unit lower and b* values were approximately 1 unit higher than in normal meat; however, a* values were unaffected by the WBC. Results demonstrate that the WBC influences the surface color of cooked breast meat and can cause noticeable differences in the cooked meat appearance.