Research note: Functionality of electrically stimulated broiler breast meat.

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Meat Science
• Animal Science

Background:

• Postmortem electrical stimulation (ES) tenderizes meat by accelerating ATP depletion, pH decline, and muscle fiber disruption.
• Rigor development at elevated temperatures, like slow chilling, can lead to pale color and poor water-holding capacity in meat.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the functionality of broiler breast meat from control and electrically stimulated carcasses.
• To evaluate the effects of normal rapid chilling versus delayed chilling (2 h) after ES on meat quality.

Main Methods:

• Broilers were electrically stimulated (450 mA, 450 V, 2s on/off for 7 pulses) or used as controls.
• Electrically stimulated birds were either chilled immediately (ES2) or had chilling delayed 2 h (ESD2).
• Control carcasses were chilled rapidly with fillets harvested at 2 h (C2) or 8 h (C8) postmortem.

Main Results:

• ES accelerated pH decline and prevented toughening in 2-h deboned breast meat, irrespective of chilling rate.
• Slow chilling after ES (ESD2) resulted in higher water release during cooking compared to immediate chilling (ES2) or control (C2).
• No significant differences in expressible moisture, gel strength, or lightness were observed among ES2, ESD2, and C2 treatments.

Conclusions:

• High-voltage ES followed by normal chilling does not impair protein functionality or cause pale, soft, exudative meat.
• Slow chilling subsequent to ES may negatively impact certain water-holding properties of broiler breast meat.
• ES combined with rapid chilling is a viable method for producing tender broiler meat without compromising quality.