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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #174186
Title: EFFECTS OF ELECTRICAL STIMULATION AND SIMULATED CONVENTIONAL AND EXTENDED CHILLING METHOD ON COOKED CHICKEN BREAST MEAT TEXTURE AND YIELD

Author
item Young, Louis
item Cason Jr, John
item Smith, Douglas
item LYON, C - ARS - RETIRED
item DICKENS, J - ARS - RETIRED
item WALKER, J - STORK GAMCO

Submitted to: International Journal of Poultry Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/17/2005
Publication Date: 2/1/2005
Citation: Young, L.L., Cason Jr, J.A., Smith, D.P., Lyon, C.E., Dickens, J.A., Walker, J.M. 2005. Effects of electrical stimulation and simulated conventional and extended chilling method on cooked chicken breast meat texture and yield. International Journal of Poultry Science. 4:60-63.

Interpretive Summary: Effects of an innovative electrical treatment and a newly developed chilling procedure on texture and yield of chicken breast fillets was evaluated. Broilers were slaughtered in the normal manner, but the carcasses were electrically shocked after the feathers were removed in order to promote tenderness and then the finished carcasses were chilled either in ice water for 3 hours or for one hour followed by two hours of cold air chilling. The electrical treatment was successful in tenderizing the fillets. Yield was greater with the 1 hour ice water chill, but chilling method did not affect tenderness. Poultry companies can use this information to optimize processing conditions for optimum yield and tenderness.

Technical Abstract: This study was conducted to determine effects of carcass electrical stimulation and alternative carcass chilling methods on texture and yield of early-harvested boneless broiler-breast fillets. New York dressed broiler carcasses were electrically stimulated for 90 s immediately after defeathering. Control carcasses were held similarly for 90 s but not stimulated. After evisceration, half the stimulated and half the control carcasses were chilled for 3 h in ice-water (extended immersion chilled). Remaining carcasses were chilled in ice-water for 1 h and then stored for an additional 2 h (conventionally chilled). Breast fillets (Pectoralis major muscles) were manually harvested immediately after chilling (3.5 h post-mortem). After weighing and overnight storage, all muscles were cooked and evaluated for shear values and cooked yields. Fillets from stimulated carcasses required significantly less force to shear and exhibited greater cooked yields than those from non stimulated carcasses. Fillets from conventionally chilled carcasses exhibited greater yield than those from extended chilled carcasses, but chilling method did not affect shear values.