Radiofrequency Method for Rapid Detection of Woody Breast in Chicken Breast Fillet

Authors: Trabelsi, Samir; Bowker, Brian

Submitted to: IEEE Sensors Letters
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/6/2026
Publication Date: 1/26/2026
Citation: Trabelsi, S., Bowker, B.C. 2026. Radiofrequency Method for Rapid Detection of Woody Breast in Chicken Breast Fillet. IEEE Sensors Letters. Volume: 10. https://doi.org/10.1109/LSENS.2026.3657702.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/LSENS.2026.3657702

Interpretive Summary: To face the increasing global demand in poultry meat, the broiler industry utilized genetic selection and improved feeding practices to achieve significant gains in broiler size and growth rate. However, fast-growing and heavier weight broilers induced myopathies such as woody breast (WB), which affect the meat quality and cause significant economic losses. Currently, the industrial standard is to manually feel each chicken breast by hand to assess its texture. This method is both labor intensive and subjective. In this paper, a radio- frequency method for rapid and nondestructive detection of the wood breast condition in chicken breast meat is proposed. The method relies on measurement of the dielectric properties at microwave frequencies and the existence of correlations between these properties and compositional attributes such as water and protein contents. Results obtained at 500 MHz indicate potential use of this method for in-process systematic characterization of chicken breast meat.

Technical Abstract: Increasing global demand in poultry meat and poultry meat products prompted the broiler industry to use genetic selection and improved feeding practices to achieve significant gains in broiler size and growth rate. However, fast-growing and heavier weight broilers induced myopathies such as woody breast (WB), which affect the meat quality and cause significant economic losses. A radiofrequency method based on measurement of the dielectric properties at microwave frequencies was developed for the rapid and nondestructive detection of woody breast disorder found in chicken breast meat. Dielectric measurements were performed with an open-ended coaxial probe connected to PNL-N5235B vector network analyzer for normal and defective (WB) fresh chicken breast meat for frequencies ranging from 200 MHz to 20 GHz and a meat temperature of about 7 oC. Spectra obtained for the normal and severe WB chicken breast show similar trends with frequency, with values of dielectric properties higher for the WB chicken breast meat. At a given frequency, there exists a correlation between the dielectric properties and composition of chicken breast meat (water content and protein content). Results show potential for rapid and systematic detection of the woody breast condition from measurement of the dielectric properties at a single microwave frequency.