Abstract
This experiment was conducted to evaluate the combined rigor-accelerating effects of postmortem electrical stimulation (ES) and argon-induced anoxia (Ar) of broiler chickens. A total of 100 broilers were processed in the following treatments: untreated controls, ES, Ar, and Ar combined with ES (Ar+ES). Both Ar and AR+ES were asphyxiated with < 2% 02 (air displaced by argon) for 2.5 min. ES and AR+ES carcasses were stimulated (45OV, .45A, AC, 6OHz, 2 s on/I s off for 15 s) after bleeding. Breast fillets were harvested at I h postmortem for all treatments or at I and 6 h postmortem for the control carcasses. Fillets were sampled for pH and R-value analyses and were then individually quick frozen (IQF) or aged on ice (AOI) until 24 h postmortem. Color was measured in the AOI fillets at 24 h postmortem. All fillets were then cooked and evaluated for shear value. The Ar treatment accelerated the normal decline in muscle pH while the ES and AR+ES treatments yielded even lower pH values at 1 h postmortem and were not significantly different from each other. The AR+ES treatment had a greater R-value than the ES treatment, which was greater than either the Ar or 1 h controls, which were not different from each other. The ES treatment had the lowest L* value and ES, Ar, and AR+ES produced significantly higher a* values than the I h controls. In both the IQF and AOI fillets, the ES and AR+ES treatments were not different in shear value, but were lower than Ar, which was lower than the I h controls. These results indicated that while ES and Ar had rigor-accelerating and tenderizing effects, ES seemed to be more effective than Ar and there was little enhanced effect when Ar was combined with ES.
Dzuik, Christopher Scott (1996). An evaluation of treating broiler chickens with argon-induced anoxia combined with postmortem electrical stimulation. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -1996 -THESIS -D983.