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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 #339597
Research Project: Assessment and Improvement of Poultry Meat, Egg, and Feed Quality

Location: Quality and Safety Assessment Research Unit

Title: Woody breast affects the marination and cooking performance of portioned broiler breast fillets

Author
item Bowker, Brian
item MAXWELL, ALEX - University Of Georgia
item Zhuang, Hong

Submitted to: Poultry Science Association Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/5/2017
Publication Date: 7/17/2017
Citation: Bowker, B.C., Maxwell, A., Zhuang, H. 2017. Woody breast affects the marination and cooking performance of portioned broiler breast fillets. Poultry Science Association Meeting Abstract. 96(1):86.

Interpretive Summary: n/a

Technical Abstract: The woody breast (WB) condition in broiler breast meat is known to impair technological meat quality. The Pectoralis major is an irregular shaped muscle and the distinct tactile and histological characteristics of the WB myopathy are usually more evident on the ventral surface and cranial end of the breast fillet. Commercially, breast fillets are often portioned horizontally due to their size and thickness. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of WB on the marination and cooking performance of the ventral (skin-side) and dorsal (bone-side) portions of broiler breast fillets. Sixty butterfly breast fillets were collected from the deboning line of a commercial plant and sorted into normal (no WB) and severe WB categories. Each fillet was portioned into ventral and dorsal halves. Portions from one side of each butterfly were used as controls (non-marinated). Portions from the other side were vacuum-tumble marinated (16 rpm, 4°C, 20 min) with 20% (wt/wt) marinade to meat ratio. Marinade was formulated to target a final concentration of 0.75% salt and 0.45% sodium tripolyphosphate. Fillet portions were cooked to 76°C in a combi-steam oven. Marinade uptake and retention were lower in both the ventral and dorsal portions of the WB fillets. The dorsal portions had greater marinade uptake and retention than the ventral portions in both normal and WB fillets. For non-marinated samples, cook loss was greater in both the ventral and dorsal portions of WB fillets. In marinated samples, however, cook loss was similar between the dorsal portions of normal and WB fillets. Final product yield (%) was calculated based on pre-marination and post-cooking weights. Severe WB samples exhibited lower final product yields than normal samples for both the ventral and dorsal portions. For marinated samples, final product yields were greater in the dorsal portions of the fillets than the ventral portions. Overall, data demonstrated that the dorsal portion of the Pectoralis major more readily absorbs and retains marinade during vacuum tumbling and storage than the ventral portion. Furthermore, the WB condition negatively influences the marination and cooking performance in both the ventral and dorsal portions of broiler breast fillets.