A Proposed Mechanism for Texture Property of Woody Breast in Broilers

ObjectivesWoody breast is a myopathy observed in chicken breast meat (Pectoralis major) characterized by its tough and rubbery texture. However, the exact causation of woody breast texture is still unknown. We hypothesize that sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) dysfunctionality early postmortem results in rapid leakage of intracellular calcium may partially contribute to the abnormal meat texture observed in woody breast meat. The objective of this preliminary study was to investigate this hypothesis.Materials and MethodsFourteen Ross line broiler breast fillets (7 severe woody breast and 7 normal) were collected at 3 h postmortem from a commercial processing plant located in the southeast United States. The 7 woody breast samples also exhibited moderate to severe white striping. The 7 normal samples did not exhibit any signs of white striping or woody breast. Each sample was trimmed, weighed, vacuum packaged and frozen at –20°C at approximately 8 h postmortem. One 1.9 cm strip across the cranial end of each fillet was fabricated and pulverized in liquid nitrogen to measure sarcomere length (Laser Scan Confocal Microscope with a 100x/NA 1.4 objective), calpain activity (immunoblotting for µ-calpain autolysis), proteolysis (immunoblotting for troponin-T degradation) and collagen content (hydroxyproline content). Purge was also collected from each sample to evaluate protein (bicinchoninic acid assay) and free calcium concentration (atomic absorption).ResultsWoody breast fillets were heavier than normal chicken breast fillets (522.9 vs. 446.9g; P < 0.05). Woody breast samples tended to have shorter sarcomeres (1.70 vs. 2.02 µm; P = 0.0543) and less intact troponin-T compared to normal breast samples (relative intact troponin-T band density: 49.98 vs. 56.97%; P = 0.0515) at 8 h postmortem. It was interesting to note that no µ-calpain band was detected through immunoblotting for both the woody breast and normal samples at 8 h postmortem. Other studies have found similar results as poultry µ-calpain autolyzed at a much rapid rate than µ-calpain in mammalian species. In addition, the purge from woody breast samples also had higher levels of free calcium compared to normal samples (6.2 vs. 4.2 nmol calcium/mg protein; P < 0.05). Lastly, there was more collagen present in the woody breast samples compared to normal chicken breast samples (3.89 vs. 2.08 mg collagen/g muscle tissue; P < 0.05).ConclusionThe results indicated that the cause of texture abnormality of woody breast may be the combined effects of more calcium being released from the SR early postmortem resulting in shorter sarcomere length and more collagen being deposited in the chicken breast meat. Additional research with the focus on SR integrity and functionality as well as collagen crosslinks are needed to further elucidate the basic mechanism of woody breast texture formation.

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Effect of White Striping on Chemical Composition and Nutritional Value of Chicken Breast Meat

Italian Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.4081/ijas.2014.3138 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 3138 ◽

Cited By ~ 57

Author(s):

Massimiliano Petracci ◽

Samer Mudalal ◽

Elena Babini ◽

Claudio Cavani

Keyword(s):

Chemical Composition ◽

Nutritional Value ◽

Chicken Breast ◽

Breast Meat ◽

White Striping ◽

Chicken Breast Meat

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Influence of non‐phosphate and low‐sodium salt marination in combination with tumbling process on properties of chicken breast meat affected by white striping abnormality

Journal of Food Science ◽

10.1111/1750-3841.15565 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 86 (2) ◽

pp. 319-326

Author(s):

Juthawut U‐Chupaj ◽

Yuwares Malila ◽

Giorgia Gozzi ◽

Lucia Vannini ◽

Nicolò Dellarosa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sodium Salt ◽

Chicken Breast ◽

Breast Meat ◽

Low Sodium ◽

White Striping ◽

Chicken Breast Meat

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Quality of breast meat from broiler chickens raised in Brazil affected by white striping myopathy

Research Society and Development ◽

10.33448/rsd-v10i2.12637 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. e42210212637

Author(s):

Juliana Lolli Malagoli de Mello ◽

Rodrigo Alves de Souza ◽

Fábio Borba Ferrari ◽

Erika Nayara Freire Cavalcanti ◽

Rodrigo Fortunato de Oliveira ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Meat Quality ◽

Broiler Chickens ◽

Pectoralis Major Muscle ◽

Chicken Breast ◽

Breast Meat ◽

White Striping ◽

Severe Degree ◽

Chicken Breast Meat ◽

Severity Degree

The aim of this study was to characterize the breast meat from broilers affected by the white striping myopathy and examine its influence on meat quality. 180 breast samples from male broilers, slaughtered at 42-d-old, were used. Samples were classified according to the severity degree of apparent white stripes on the Pectoralis major muscle surface (“normal” [n=60], “moderate” [n=60], or “severe” [n=60]). Birds affected by the myopathy produced breast meat with higher L*, a* and b* values on the outer surface. Cooking loss decreased as the severity degree increased (30.94% [normal] to 21.65% [severe]). Toughness increased in the samples classified as moderately and severely affected. There was also an increase in the concentrations of lipids (1.60% [normal] to 2.57% [affected samples], on average), cholesterol (84.60 mg/100 g [normal] to 91.73 mg/100 g [severe degree]) and collagen as the severity degree increased. Although there are statistical differences for some evaluated parameters and, even so, these results are considered numerically normal based on previously published literature, we emphasize that the white striping abnormality alters chicken breast meat quality, especially regarding to the protein and fat concentrations, which can offer consumers products with nutritional quality different from the average specified on the packaging.

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Impact of Refrigerated Storage Time on the Instrumental Quality Traits and Dissipation of Woody Broiler Breast Meat

Meat and Muscle Biology ◽

10.22175/mmb.10777 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

Author(s):

M. D. Byron ◽

M. E. Von Staden ◽

X. Zhang ◽

C. A. Crist ◽

W. Zhai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Meat Quality ◽

Shear Force ◽

Storage Time ◽

Block Design ◽

Chicken Breast ◽

Processing Plant ◽

Quality Traits ◽

Refrigerated Storage ◽

Breast Meat ◽

Chicken Breast Meat

ObjectivesSince 2013, woody breast (WB) has been a prevalent meat quality defect in the broiler industry, affecting 30–40% of chicken breast meat from broilers with live weights greater than 4.2 kg. Woody breast results in a loss over $200 million annually due to decreased yields and product value. WB samples are lighter, more yellow in appearance, and are characterized by a greater pH and cooking loss than normal breast meat. The objective of this research was to evaluate and compare the instrumental quality traits of normal and WB fillets over storage time to determine if the WB condition dissipates over storage time. Dissipation was defined by the change of severely woody to moderately woody breasts or the change of moderately woody to slightly woody or normal breasts.Materials and MethodsNinety chicken breast samples, 30 from each of the following breast meat categories (normal, moderately woody, and severely woody) were collected from a commercial processing plant on 5 separate occasions for evaluation of dissipation, purge loss and shear force from Day 1 (d1) through Day 5 (d5). A 3 × 6 factorial structure (WB severity × storage time) with 5 replications within a randomized complete block design (sampling occasions as blocks) with subsamples was utilized to evaluate the effects of WB severity (normal, moderate, severe) and storage time (d 0, d 1 to d 5) on dissipation, purge loss and shear force (d 0 and d 5) (SAS version 9.4, Cary, NC).ResultsResults indicated that dissipation was observed on moderate and severe woody breast over storage time. After 5 d of storage at 2–4°C, 84% of SEV WB fillets dissipated to MOD WB, which was greater (P < 0.05) than all other storage times. In comparison, only 40–52% of the MOD WB fillets dissipated to slight WB or NOR breasts after 3–5 d of storage. Purge loss increased throughout storage time for NOR, MOD, and SEV chicken breast meat. In addition, purge loss was less (P < 0.05) for NOR than SEV WB after 1, 2, and 4 d of storage. However, after 5 d of storage, no difference (P > 0.05) existed in purge loss among NOR, MOD, and SEV WB meat. Shear force was greater (P < 0.05) for NOR than MOD and SEV WB meat on Day 0in the upper, middle, and lower portions of the breast. By Day 1, there were no differences (P > 0.05) in shear force among the 3 breast meat severities. After 2, 3, 4, and 5 d of storage, the upper position (cranial part) of SEV WB fillets had greater (P < 0.05) shear force than NOR fillets.ConclusionIn conclusion, the dissipation that occurred in WB meat over refrigerated storage was mainly visual and did not improve overall meat quality.

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Antioxidant Activity of a Methanolic Extract from Prunus mume Byproduct in Cooked Chicken Breast Meat

Preventive Nutrition and Food Science ◽

10.3746/jfn.2005.10.4.311 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 311-315 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Seong-Chun Jo ◽

Ki-Chang Nam ◽

Byoung-Rok Min ◽

Dong-Uk Ahn ◽

Sung-Hwan Cho ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antioxidant Activity ◽

Methanolic Extract ◽

Chicken Breast ◽

Prunus Mume ◽

Breast Meat ◽

Chicken Breast Meat

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Effects of Storage on Quality Traits of Sausages Made with Chicken Breast Meat Affected by Wooden Breast

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11020513 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 513

Author(s):

Rodrigo Fortunato de Oliveira ◽

Maísa Santos Fávero ◽

Juliana Lolli Malagoli de Mello ◽

Fábio Borba Ferrari ◽

Erika Nayara Freire Cavalcanti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Protein Concentration ◽

Chicken Breast ◽

Moderate Degree ◽

Breast Meat ◽

Moisture Concentration ◽

Severe Degree ◽

Wooden Breast ◽

Taste And Smell ◽

Chicken Breast Meat

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of storage on the quality of sausages made with breast from chickens affected by wooden breast myopathy (WBM). Breast samples from male broilers slaughtered at 48 days old were used. Normal (absence of myopathy), moderate degree (hardness only in one region of the breast) and severe degree samples (hardness over the entire length of the breast) were processed into sausages and evaluated prior to storage and after being vacuum-packed and stored for 7, 14, 21 and 28 days at 4 °C. There was a decrease (p < 0.001) in pH and an increase (p < 0.001) in cooking weight loss in samples of sausages, regardless of the myopathy, after 28 days of storage. Sausages produced with chicken breast samples affected by wooden breast myopathy presented higher (p < 0.0001) moisture concentration (72% for the severe degree) and higher (p = 0.0224) protein concentration (17.27% and 17.36%, respectively, for the moderate and severe degrees) than sausages made of normal samples (70.72% and 14.32%, respectively). The results indicate that sausages produced with meat from birds moderately and severely affected by the myopathy show higher oxidative stability. Fresh sausages produced with breast meat from birds affected by wooden breast syndrome may be stored (4 °C) for up to 28 days without exhibiting the characteristic rancid taste and smell. In sensory analysis, no differences were observed between the formulations, which suggests that the consumers approved the samples regardless of the disease severity in the meat used for the making of the sausages. The current results show that chicken meat affected by wooden breast myopathy can be used for producing fresh sausages in the industry.

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The effect of high pressure treatment on the quality of chicken breast meat

Hrvatski časopis za prehrambenu tehnologiju biotehnologiju i nutricionizam ◽

10.31895/hcptbn.14.3-4.6 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 (3-4) ◽

pp. 76-81

Author(s):

Nives Marušić Radovčić ◽

Damir Ježek ◽

Ksenija Markov ◽

Jadranka Frece ◽

Duška Ćurić ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Pressure ◽

Treatment Time ◽

Elevated Pressure ◽

Quality Parameters ◽

High Pressure Processing ◽

Chicken Breast ◽

Moisture Uptake ◽

Breast Meat ◽

Chicken Breast Meat ◽

Cooking Yield

In the present work, the effect of high pressure processing (HPP) (0, 100, 200 and 300 MPa) and different treatment time (5 and 10 minutes) on the moisture uptake, cooking yield, colour and texture, as well as microbial population of chicken breast fillets was investigated. The application of high hydrostatic pressure resulted in a modification of quality parameters of chicken breast meat. By increasing pressure and time of the treatment the moisture uptake was reduced: samples treated with 300 MPa for 10 min had the lowest moisture uptake values. Cooking yield was not affected by HPP treatments. Increased pressure affected the colour by increasing L*, a* and b* values (only HPP treatment of 100 MPa in duration of 5 and 10 minutes did not affect colour of chicken breast meat). Lower pressures (100 and 200 MPa) tenderized, whereas elevated pressure (300 MPa) increased hardness in chicken breast fillets. Higher level of pressure (300 MPa) reduced bacteria count by about 3.0 – 5.3 log (CFU/g), depending on the microorganism and duration of the process.

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