Effect of processing on turkey meat quality and proteolysis

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Meat Science
• Poultry Processing

Background:

• Modern turkey processing utilizes rapid chilling and early deboning to enhance microbial safety and economic yield.
• These techniques may inadvertently impact meat quality attributes such as tenderness and cooking yield.
• Understanding the biochemical changes in turkey breast meat under these conditions is crucial for industry optimization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of rapid chilling and early deboning on turkey breast meat toughness and cooking losses.
• To examine the role of calpain proteases and calpastatin in mediating meat quality changes during turkey processing.
• To determine the relationship between calpain activity and specific processing conditions.

Main Methods:

• Quantification of calpain I, calpain II, and calpastatin in turkey breast muscle.
• Analysis of meat toughness and cooking losses in relation to processing methods.
• Assessment of calpain activity and sarcomere length during post-slaughter aging.

Main Results:

• Rapid chilling and early deboning significantly increased turkey breast meat toughness and cooking losses.
• Meat toughening was associated with reduced proteolysis and sarcomere shortening.
• Calpain II activity was high but not activated during aging; calpain I and calpastatin activities decreased rapidly post-slaughter.
• No correlation was found between calpain activity and the processing conditions studied.

Conclusions:

• Current turkey processing methods negatively impact breast meat tenderness and increase cooking losses.
• The observed meat toughening is linked to altered proteolytic activity and muscle structure.
• Further research is needed to optimize processing parameters for improved turkey meat quality.