Effect of early filleting on the texture of breast muscle of broilers stunned with argon‐induced anoxia

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
1. Eighty broilers were stunned in batches of 10 with less than 1 % oxygen (air displaced by argon) and their chilled breasts were filleted at 2, 3, 5 or 21 h (argon control) post‐mortem. Twenty broilers were electrically stunned and their breasts filleted at 21 h post‐mortem (electrical control). 2. Meat quality variables studied included pH of the pectoralis major muscle measured at 20 min post‐mortem and at filleting, and texture at 24 h post‐mortem. 3. Argon stunning resulted in a rapid early post‐mortem pH fall, but there was no indication of heat toughening in the breast muscles. 4. Filleting at 2 h post‐mortem, after argon stunning, resulted in 5% of the p. major muscles having greater than 4 kg yield force (slightly tough). 5. Although post‐mortem ageing of argon stunned broilers improved the texture of breast muscle, it is inferred that filleting at 2 h postmortem resulted in breast muscle with acceptable texture.