Water properties in intact wooden breast fillets during refrigerated storage

Authors: CHOI, JANGHAN - Oak Ridge Institute For Science And Education (ORISE); SHAKERI, MAJID - Oak Ridge Institute For Science And Education (ORISE); KIM, WOO KYUN - University Of Georgia; Kong, Byungwhi; Bowker, Brian; Zhuang, Hong

Submitted to: Poultry Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/10/2024
Publication Date: 1/15/2024
Citation: Choi, J., Shakeri, M., Kim, W., Kong, B.C., Bowker, B.C., Zhuang, H. 2024. Water properties in intact wooden breast fillets during refrigerated storage. Poultry Science. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2024.103464.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2024.103464

Interpretive Summary: Due to its affordability and high protein content, poultry meat is the most widely consumed meat in the US and around the world. Intense genetic selection, effective nutritional programs, and efficient farming management have enhanced production efficiency and meat yield in broiler production. However, alongside these advancements, breast muscle myopathies including wooden breast (WB) have become more prevalent in modern broiler production. The WB condition is known to affect water content and water holding capacity (WHC) in broiler breast fillets. Time domain nuclear magnetic resonance (TD-NMR) is a fast and nondestructive method that can be used to assess water properties in muscle. The purpose of this study was to compare the water properties of normal and WB fillets during storage at 4°C for 168 h postmortem using TD-NMR. Our study showed that WB fillets lost more water than normal fillets during refrigerated storage. During storage the amount of water held within the myofibrils increased and the amount of water in the extra-myofibrillar compartment decreased in WB fillets. The amount of water within the myofibrils in normal fillets did not change during storage. Water of WB fillets had more mobility and less cohesion between water molecules and muscle fibers during storage. Our data demonstrate that the WB condition affects changes in water properties in broiler fillets during postmortem refrigerated storage. Increased water loss from WB fillets during storage may result from increased water mobility. These results help us understand the basis for WHC of WB meat, which will in turn help us develop ways to minimize the negative effects of poor WHC in WB.

Technical Abstract: The wooden breast (WB) condition notably alters moisture content and water holding capacity (WHC) in broiler breast fillets. The purpose of this study was to investigate water properties during refrigerated storage from 4 h to 168 h postmortem using time domain nuclear magnetic resonance (TD-NMR). Water properties measured using TD-NMR included mobility (T), proportion (P), and abundance (A) per 100 g of meat. Changes in meat quality indicators including compression force, color, pH, cumulative purge loss, and proximate composition were measured. TD-NMR analysis showed four water populations in intact broiler fillets with transverse relaxation time (T2) constants at approximately 4-5 milliseconds (ms) (designated as 2b, corresponding to hydration water or bound water), 40-60 ms (designated as 21, corresponding to intra-myofibrillar water or immobilized water), 80-210 ms (designated as 22a, corresponding to extra-myofibrillar water or free water with lower mobility) and 210-500 ms (designated as 22b, corresponding to extra-myofibrillar water or free water with higher mobility) during early postmortem storage (between 4 h and 72 h postmortem) and only three populations (2b, 21, and 22a) after 72 h postmortem. There were interaction effects (P < 0.05) between storage time and WB condition for all water properties except T2b, A2b/100 g, and T22b. The linear change of T21, P21, A21/100 g, T22a, A22a/100 g, P22b, and A22b/100 g in stored WB samples were different from the normal fillets (P < 0.05). During storage, P21 and A21/100 g of WB fillets exhibited faster linear increases than those of normal fillets, whereas T21 and T22a of normal fillets and A22a/100 g, P22b, and A22b/100 g of WB fillets showed faster linear decreases (P < 0.05). Our data demonstrate that the WB condition affects changes in water properties in broiler fillets during postmortem refrigerated storage.