Influence of utilizing breast meat afflicted with woody breast myopathy on sausage textural properties

Authors: RIGDON, MACC - University Of Georgia; STELZLENI, ALEXANDER - University Of Georgia; Bowker, Brian; Zhuang, Hong; PRINGLE, DEAN - University Of Georgia; THIPPAREDDI, HARSHAVARDHAN - University Of Georgia

Submitted to: American Meat Science Association Conference Reciprocal Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/23/2019
Publication Date: 6/23/2019
Citation: Rigdon, M., Stelzleni, A., Bowker, B.C., Zhuang, H., Pringle, D., Thippareddi, H. 2019. Influence of utilizing breast meat afflicted with woody breast myopathy on sausage textural properties. American Meat Science Association Conference Reciprocal Proceedings. Proceedings of the Reciprocal Meat Conference, (abstract 100)..

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Objectives: Woody breast (WB) myopathy reduces the utility and value of breast meat for the broiler industry. It is hypothesized that WB meat may be included in comminuted products to increase utility and ultimately add value to the broiler industry. Literature on the effects that WB inclusion in further processed products is lacking. The objective of this research was to evaluate the quality of sausage made with WB meat of varying degrees of severity. Materials and Methods: For each of three replications, broiler breast meat (normal, moderate WB, and severe WB) and chicken abdominal fat were obtained from a commercial poultry processor. Breast meat was coarse ground (19-mm) and combined with fat (targeting 15%) to produce 10-kg batches representing 25%, 50%, and 100% moderate WB meat, 25%, 50%, 100% severe WB meat, and a 100% normal control. The batches were then re-ground (4.8-mm), mixed for 1 min with 1.5% salt, and stuffed into 35-mm natural casings. Links were placed in individual bags, cooked to 70°C in a water-bath, and allowed to cool to room temperature before hardness, cohesiveness, springiness, gumminess, and chewiness were evaluated using texture profile analysis. Individual sausage links were weighed before and after cooking and cook loss was calculated. Data were analyzed using SAS version 9.3 with a fixed effects design with replication as a random effect. Results: Sausage hardness tended to be softer (P = 0.06) as WB inclusion rate and severity increased. Cohesiveness and springiness values were similar between treatments (P = 0.53, P = 0.95, respectively). Gumminess decreased (P < 0.05) as severity and inclusion of WB increased indicating a lack of bind, which was further supported by the decline in chewiness (P < 0.05). The raw 25% moderate WB and 50% severe WB sausage links were similar in lightness values (L*)to the normal sausage links. In cooked sausage, 25% and 50% inclusion of WB meat regardless of severity were similar in lightness values (L*) compared to the 100% normal formulations. Conclusion: With no difference in cook loss (P = 0.08), the data presented indicates that moderate and severe WB meat can be included in the formulation of linked sausages to increase utility and value of broiler WB meat.