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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 #414093
Research Project: Assessment of Quality Attributes of Poultry Products, Grain, Seed, Nuts, and Feed

Location: Quality and Safety Assessment Research Unit

Title: Relationship between thaw loss and water properties in frozen/thawed broiler breast meat with the wooden breast condition

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

Submitted to: Poultry Science Association Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/2/2024
Publication Date: 7/15/2024
Citation: Zhuang, H., Choi, J., Bowker, B.C., Shakeri, M., Kong, B.C., Kim, W. 2024. Relationship between thaw loss and water properties in frozen/thawed broiler breast meat with the wooden breast condition. Poultry Science Association Meeting Abstract. No. 652P: 255.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The wooden breast (WB) quality defect significantly affects water-holding capacity and water properties in broiler fillets (pectoralis major). The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between thaw loss and water properties in frozen/thawed WB meat. Boneless skinless chicken fillets (n = 36) were collected from a commercial plant and classified into normal and severe WB groups. Samples were stored at -20oC for 20 days before thawing. Thaw loss (%) was calculated based on pre-freezing and post-thawing weights. Water properties including time constant (T), relative content (P), and normalized abundance (A) of water populations 2b (bound water), 21 (immobilized water), and 22 (free water) in muscle were measured using a Bruker 1H LF-NMR (low-field nuclear magnetic resonance) 90II system and Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill Pulse Sequence [t= 2 millisecond (ms), echoes = 500, and 16 scans] pre-freezing and post-thawing. Transverse relaxation measurements were processed by continuous distribution analysis. The distribution data were analyzed using SAS GLM and SAS Corr models. Duncan’s new multiple range test was used for mean separation. There were three water populations with average time constant of 4.5, 46.4, and 134.7 ms (named T2b, T21, and T22, respectively) in fresh normal meat and 4.8, 53.9, and 214.3 ms in fresh WB meat. In normal meat, freezing/thawing resulted in increased T2b, A2b (normalized abundance of T2b water), A22 (normalized abundance of T22 water), and decreased T21 and P21 (relative content of T21 water); however, it resulted in decreased T22, P22 (relative content of T21 water), and A22 and increased P2b, P21, A2b, and A21 in WB meat (P < 0.05). Pearson correlation analysis revealed significant and positive correlations (P < 0.01) between thaw loss and free water P22 and A22 and negative correlation (P < 0.01) between thaw loss and P21 measured pre-freezing regardless of meat condition. There was significant negative relationship (P < 0.01) between thaw loss and immobilized water P21 and positive relationships (P < 0.01) between thaw loss and free water P22 and A22 in frozen/thawed normal meat. However, there were no significant relationships (P > 0.01) between thaw loss and any of water property parameters in frozen/thawed WB meat, indicating that changes in thaw loss were not associated with changes in water properties measured with LF-NMR. These results suggest that meat thaw loss is negatively related to immobilized water and positively to free water in broiler fillets. The effect of WB on thaw loss may result from altered ability to maintain the initial relationships (pre-freezing) between water loss and water properties in meat post-thawing.