Relationships between texture and water property measurements in raw intact broiler breast fillets with the wooden breast condition

Authors: PANG, BIN - Qingdao Agricultural University; Bowker, Brian; ZHANG, JIAN - Beijing Academy Of Agricultural Sciences; YANG, YI - Beijing Academy Of Agricultural Sciences; SUN, XIAO - Chuzhou University; SUN, JINGXIN - Qingdao Agricultural University; WEI, JIAN-TENG - Qingdao Agricultural University; Zhuang, Hong

Submitted to: Poultry Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/2/2024
Publication Date: 5/18/2024
Citation: Pang, B., Bowker, B.C., Zhang, J., Yang, Y., Sun, X., Sun, J., Wei, J., Zhuang, H. 2024. Relationships between texture and water property measurements in raw intact broiler breast fillets with the wooden breast condition. Poultry Science, 103(7):103830. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2024.103830.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2024.103830

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. Distinct differences between normal and WB fillets are observed in the tactile characteristics of the raw meat as WB fillets are much harder and more rigid. However, the cause of these texture differences is still unknown. We hypothesized that water properties in WB meat could be partially responsible for the altered texture characteristics in raw intact fillets. Our results showed significant and strong correlations between subjective WB texture measurements and water mobility in the intra-myofibrillar compartment, water abundance in the extra-myofibrillar compartment, and water proportions in both intra- and the extra-myofibrillar compartments. Strong correlations were also noted between instrumental shear force measurements and water mobility in the intra-myofibrillar compartment. The data suggest that meat water properties, including population, mobility, and abundance, may be directly involved in the unique texture characteristics of woody breast meat. The current study provides the scientific basis for developing nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technology as a non-destructive method to assess the severity of the WB myopathy in broiler breast fillets.

Technical Abstract: Relationships between texture and meat water properties measurements were investigated in raw intact broiler breast fillets with the woody breast (WB) condition. Texture measurements included subjective WB scores and blunt Meullenet-Owens Razor Shear (BMORS) force. Water properties were determined with low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR). Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to explore the correlations between the WB score, BMORS peak force, and water properties. Spearman correlation was used to estimate relationships between the WB scores and water properties. Pearson correlation was used to estimate relationships between BMORS peak force and water properties. LF-NMR measurements exhibited three water components, protein-associated water T2b; entrapped or immobilized water T21, and free water T22, in chicken breast meat. The significant and strong Spearman correlations were found between the WB scores and any of T21 time constant, the abundance (normalized areas) of T22, and the proportions of T21 and T22 (rs > 0.60, P < 0.001). The significant and strong Pearson correlations were noted only between BMORS measurements and the T21 time constant (r = 0.72, P < 0.001). These results demonstrate that water may contribute to the specific texture characteristics of raw broiler breast fillets with the WB condition.