Changes in meat compositions in marinated broiler Pectoralis major with the woody breast condition

Authors: ZHANG, JIAN - Beijing Academy Of Agricultural Sciences; Bowker, Brian; PANG, BIN - Qingdao Agricultural University; YANG, YI - Beijing Research Center For Information Technology In Agriculture, Beijing Academy Of Agriculture A; YU, XIANG - Hubei University; Zhuang, Hong

Submitted to: LWT - Food Science and Technology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/19/2024
Publication Date: 3/2/2024
Citation: Zhang, J., Bowker, B.C., Pang, B., Yang, Y., Yu, X., Zhuang, H. 2024. Changes in meat compositions in marinated broiler Pectoralis major with the woody breast condition. LWT - Food Science and Technology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2024.115884.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2024.115884

Interpretive Summary: The woody breast (WB) condition is a muscle abnormality in broiler breast meat and costs the poultry industry millions of dollars annually due to its negative impact on meat quality. Research has shown that the WB condition directly affects both the texture and water-holding capacity (WHC) of chicken fillets. Marination with a salt-phosphate solution is widely used in the meat industry to improve quality. The WB condition has been found to negatively influence meat marination performance; however, there is a lack of information about effects of the WB condition on meat compositions in raw and cooked marinated broiler breast fillets. The aim of the present study was to use an LF-NMR method to investigate the effects of the WB condition on meat composition of raw and cooked boneless skinless chicken fillets. Data showed that the WB condition significantly influences the pattern of changes in both moisture and protein contents during 72-h marination and alters the effects of marinades on both meat moisture and protein contents; however, it does not change the trends of marinade effects on either moisture or protein contents over static marination. Marination significantly decreases LF-NMR collagen measurements and increases salt contents in the normal meat; however, no effects are observed in the fillets with the WB condition. The effects of the WB condition on moisture content in broiler fillets are not altered by cooking; however, there is an interaction between meat condition and cooking on protein content. Cooking influences on the changes in protein contents in meat varied with marinade ingredients regardless of meat condition. The WB condition also alters the interactions between marination and cooking on collagen and salt measurements collected with Bruker’s LF-NMR method.

Technical Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the woody breast (WB) condition on chemical composition in marinated broiler pectoralis fillets. A total of 36 fillets (18 normal and 18 severe WB) were marinated (static marination method) in 3 marinade solutions with a 25% (wt/wt) marinade to meat ratio: 0.625% sodium tripolyphosphate (P), 5% NaCl (S), or 5% NaCl + 0.625% sodium tripolyphosphate (SP), along with a non-marinated sample (C). Bruker’s low-field NMR was used to measure the contents of the chemical components (moisture, protein, collagen and salt) at 5 successive sampling points, pre-marinading (D0), 24-, 48-, and 72-h marination (D1, D2, D3/pre-cooking), and post-cooking (D4), respectively. Data showed that, during 72-h marinating process, the WB condition inhibited increases in moisture content in broiler fillets and it took 24 h for WB meat to reach the dynamic equilibrium of moisture and protein compared with 48 to 72 h for normal meat. For contents of collagen and salt, there were significant (P < 0.05) three-way interactions between muscle condition, marination time, and marinade solution. The salt content increased and collagen content decreased on the first day of marination regardless of marinade ingredient in normal meat; however no significant difference was detected in WB meat during 72-h marination. For cooking, WB meat contained higher moisture content regardless of meat state or marination. Its effect on protein content differed from that of the normal condition. However, the WB condition did not affect the relationship between marination treatment and cooking effects for either moisture or protein content. The contents of collagen and salt also exhibited significant three-way interaction (P < 0.05) between cooked treatment, muscle condition, and marinade solution. In conclusion, our results suggest that the WB condition affects chemical composition in marinated broiler Pectoralis fillets and the effects varied with chemical component.