EFFECTS OF POSTMORTEM TIME BEFORE CHILLING AND CHILLING TEMPERATURES ON WATER-HOLDING CAPACITY AND TEXTURE OF TURKEY BREAST MUSCLE

Two studies were conducted to determine 1) the effect of post-mortem t ime before chilling on hot boned prerigor breast muscle water-holding capacity (WHC), and 2) post-mortem temperature effect on sarcomere len gth and drip loss of uncooked breast, and shear force and WHC of turke y breast muscle that is hot-boned, marinated, and cooked. In Study 1, the turkey breast muscle was excised immediately after slaughter and c hilled at 0 C. The effect of post-mortem time (15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 min) before chilling on muscle pH, drip loss, and WHC (measured b y homogenate cooking yield) was determined. In Study 2, hot boned prer igor breast slices were held at either 0 or 12 C and then at 3 h post- mortem stored at 2 C. Sarcomere length and drip loss of uncooked breas t, and the shear force and WHC (measured by cooking yield) of cooked b reast muscles with water, salt, and sodium tripolyphosphate were deter mined. Results indicated that pH on Day 1 post-mortem and cooking yiel d of water homogenates were not influenced by the post-mortem time bef ore chilling. Drip losses increased as the post-mortem time before chi lling was increased. Cooking yield of homogenate with water, salt, and sodium tripolyphosphate was decreased when breast muscle was chilled after 60 min post-mortem Drip loss of breast was less at 0 C than at 1 2 C, but cooking yield and shear force were not affected by postmortem chilling temperature. It was concluded that the post-mortem time befo re chilling has an influence an uncooked and cooked muscle WHC, but th e differences found in uncooked muscle drip loss were not reflected in WHC or shear force of cooked muscle with water, salt, and sodium trip olyphosphate added.