Tenderization of chicken and turkey breasts with electrically produced hydrodynamic shockwaves

Eighty early deboned (45 min, post mortem) postrigor chicken breasts were e xposed (24 h post mortem) to two levels (number of pulse firing networks, P FN; 45% energy) of electrically produced hydrodynamic shockwaves (HSW). In addition, 21 turkey breasts (72 h post mortem) were HSW treated (two PFN. 7 2% energy). Samples were water cooked in bags (78 degreesC internal). Two P FN's were required to decrease (P<0.05) chicken Warner-Bratzler shear (WBS) force by 22% from the control (4.67 kg). WBS force of the HSW treated turk ey breast decreased (P<0.05) by 12% from the control (3.20 kg). Cooking los s was higher (P<0.05)in the turkey breast portions but not in the chicken b reasts. The electrically produced shockwave process has the potential to pr ovide chicken processors with the ability to early debone and produce tende r breasts and to provide turkey processors with tenderness-enhanced fillets . (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.