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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 #403942
Research Project: Assessment of Quality Attributes of Poultry Products, Grain, Seed, Nuts, and Feed

Location: Quality and Safety Assessment Research Unit

Title: Water characteristics in broiler pectoralis major during postmortem aging and storage

Author
item Zhuang, Hong
item CHOI, JANGHAN - Oak Ridge Institute For Science And Education (ORISE)
item Bowker, Brian
item Buhr, Richard - Jeff
item KIM, WHOO KYUN - University Of Georgia
item Kong, Byungwhi

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/7/2023
Publication Date: 7/10/2023
Citation: Zhuang, H., Choi, J., Bowker, B.C., Buhr, R.J., Kim, W., Kong, B.C. 2023. Water characteristics in broiler pectoralis major during postmortem aging and storage. Meeting Abstract. 102/163-164.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The objective of the present study was to investigate changes in water characteristics (i.e. mobility and distribution) within the broiler Pectoralis during conversion of muscle to meat (< 6 h postmortem) and postmortem storage (up to 7 days). Breast fillets (n = 2) were removed from carcasses within 5 min after bleeding and placed in ice. Water characteristics were determined by measuring T2 relaxation in intact fillets using a Bruker 1H LF-NMR 90II system at the postmortem times of 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 24, 72, 120, and 168 h. Data analyses were carried out using SAS general linear model (PROC GLM) for ANOVA and SAS correlation model (PROC CORR) for Pearson correlation coefficients. Tukey’s standardized range test was used for mean separations. Results from T2 distributed analysis show three typical water populations with average relaxation times of average 5 ms for hydration water (T2b), 42 ms for the intra-myofibrillar water (T21), and >100 ms for the extra-myofibrillar water (T22). During the early postmortem phase (< 24 h), the T22 consisted of two components, one with average T2 = 148 ms (T22a) and one with T2 = 378 ms (T22b). However, only one component (T2 = 148 ms) was noted at the end of storage. Overall, relaxation times of T2b and T22b and portion of T22b (P22b) decreased with increased postmortem time (P < 0.05); however, relaxation time of T21 and portions of T2b and T21 (P2b and P21, respectively) increased during the conversion of muscle to meat (< 24h, P < 0.05). There was a very strong negative correlation between P21 and P22b (r = -0.97, P < 0.0001), indicating that a decrease in the extramyofibrillar water is very closely accompanied by an increase in the intramyofibrillar water during the meat conversation and storage. Findings reveal that water characteristics change both quantitatively and qualitatively postmortem and the changes vary with the T2 relaxation parameter. Water mobility decreases in the hydration and extra-myofibrillar water (5 to 168 h) and increases in the intra-myofibrillar water (0.5 to 5 h); however, the relative water proportions (P22a + P22b) decrease in the extra-myofibrillar water (0.5 to 168 h) but increase in the hydration (24 to 168 h) and intra-myofibrillar water (0.5 to 168 h) postmortem. Data also indicate a water exchange between the intra- and extra-myofibrillar compartments (0.5 to 24 h). We hypothesize that the water with a longer relaxation time (or higher mobility) in T22 moves into the intra-myofibrillar compartment from the extra-myofibrillar compartment during the early postmortem aging (0.5 to 24 h) in broiler breast meat. Further investigations are warranted to test this hypothesis.