Comparison of near infrared spectra within broiler breast fillets deboned at different postmortem time

Authors: Zhuang, Hong; SOHN, MIRYEONG - UGA; Windham, William; Himmelsbach, David

Submitted to: Annual Meeting of the Institute of Food Technologists
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/10/2008
Publication Date: 6/6/2009
Citation: Zhuang, H., Sohn, M., Windham, W.R., Himmelsbach, D.S. 2009. Comparison of near infrared spectra within broiler breast fillets deboned at different postmortem time. Annual Meeting of the Institute of Food Technologists.

Interpretive Summary: Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy has been used to predict texture quality of broiler breast fillets. Sampling is an important issue in NIR measurements to obtain accurate results. There are no research papers about sampling of chicken breast fillet for NIR measurement. The objective of this study was to compare NIR spectra of broiler breast fillets deboned at different postmortem times. In addition, spectra were compared from the skin-side, inside, and medial side and also from the anterior and posterior of the fillet. Broiler breast fillets were deboned from ready-to-cook carcasses (approximately 42 days old) at 2, 4 and 24 hr postmortem time. NIR spectra were collected in the diffuse reflection mode from 400 to 2500 nm with a Foss XDS spectrometer. A 38 mm diameter sample was cored from the fillet and placed into a cylindrical sample cell (38 mm I.D.) with an optical quartz surface and foam core backing. Triplicate spectra were collected per sample and averaged prior to data processing. The NIR spectra of chicken fillets showed high absorption peaks at 430, 560, 980, 1200, 1450, 1800 and 1920 nm. Regardless of deboning time and locations, the skin-side showed lower absorption at 430 and 560 nm due to myoglobin and higher absorption at 1450 and 1920 nm due to water compared to either the inside or medial side. Spectra of the inside and medial sides were similar to each other. Compared with the side variation, the effect of the location on the spectra was not significant. Principal component analysis (PCA) resulted in successful classification of chicken meats by their deboning time. The best separation for deboning time was obtained by the use of the skin-side samples. These results demonstrate that there are differences in spectra within broiler breast meat. NIR spectra of broiler fillets could be collected from any sides or locations and used to determine deboning time.

Technical Abstract: Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy has been used to predict texture quality of broiler breast fillets. Sampling is an important issue in NIR measurements to obtain accurate results. There are no research papers about sampling of chicken breast fillet for NIR measurement. The objective of this study was to compare NIR spectra of broiler breast fillets deboned at different postmortem times. In addition, spectra were compared from the skin-side, inside, and medial side and also from the anterior and posterior of the fillet. Broiler breast fillets were deboned from ready-to-cook carcasses (approximately 42 days old) at 2, 4 and 24 hr postmortem time. NIR spectra were collected in the diffuse reflection mode from 400 to 2500 nm with a Foss XDS spectrometer. A 38 mm diameter sample was cored from the fillet and placed into a cylindrical sample cell (38 mm I.D.) with an optical quartz surface and foam core backing. Triplicate spectra were collected per sample and averaged prior to data processing. The NIR spectra of chicken fillets showed high absorption peaks at 430, 560, 980, 1200, 1450, 1800 and 1920 nm. Regardless of deboning time and locations, the skin-side showed lower absorption at 430 and 560 nm due to myoglobin and higher absorption at 1450 and 1920 nm due to water compared to either the inside or medial side. Spectra of the inside and medial sides were similar to each other. Compared with the side variation, the effect of the location on the spectra was not significant. Principal component analysis (PCA) resulted in successful classification of chicken meats by their deboning time. The best separation for deboning time was obtained by the use of the skin-side samples. These results demonstrate that there are differences in spectra within broiler breast meat. NIR spectra of broiler fillets could be collected from any sides or locations and used to determine deboning time.