Abstract
This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of postmortem electrical stimulation (ES) on tenderness, absorbance ratio (r-value), pH, and drip loss of breast fillets following air chilling. In each of four replications, eight birds were electrically stimulated and twelve birds were used as controls. The ES birds were stimulated at the head in a l% saline bath(45OV,.45A,2son/lsofffor7pulses). After evisceration the carcasses were air chilled in a cooler at 1-20 C with an average relative humidity of 9 1 % and an air speed of 43.9 m3/minute. Pre-chill and post-chill carcass weights were measured to determine drip loss. Breast fillets were harvested at 2 and 4h postmortem from both ES and control carcasses and also at 8 h postmortem from control carcasses. Fillets were aged on ice while the fillet tips were excised and frozen for later measurement of pH and r-value. Although there was no significant ES effect on shear value at 2h postmortem, the ES fillets had a significantly (P<0.05) lower shear value mean than the control fillets at 4h postmortem. There was no significant difference between the shear value means of the ES 4h fillets and the control 8 h fillets. ES accelerated the normal postmortem decline in pH at both 2 and 4h postmortem. The r-value means for the control and ES samples were similar at 2h postmortem, but the r-value mean of the ES samples was significantly (P<0.05) higher than the control at 4h postmortem. There was no significant effect upon drip loss by ES at any of the sampling times. These results suggest that, when followed by air chilling, ES 50%, and has no effect upon drip loss.
Skarovsky, Clinton John (1997). Tenderness, drip loss, and postmortem metabilism of broiler pectoralis from electrically stimulated and air chilled carcasses. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -1997 -THESIS -S57.