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How pH causes paleness or darkness in chicken breast meat
1Department of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1.
Meat Science
|November 9, 2011
Summary
Low-pH chicken breast meat exhibits higher light reflectance, while high-pH meat shows greater light transmittance. Myofibrillar refraction influences light scattering differences in pale, soft, exudative (PSE) and dark, firm, dry (DFD) chicken meat.
Area of Science:
- Food science
- Meat science
- Biophysics
Background:
- Meat quality is influenced by pH, affecting visual and textural properties.
- Pale, soft, exudative (PSE) and dark, firm, dry (DFD) meat are characterized by distinct pH levels and optical properties.
- Understanding light-meat interactions is crucial for predicting meat quality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare optical properties (reflectance, transmittance) of low-pH and high-pH chicken breasts.
- To investigate the role of myofibrillar refraction in light scattering differences between PSE and DFD chicken meat.
- To correlate light properties with meat pH and wavelength.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of Pectoralis chicken breasts with low-pH (5.91±0.12) and high-pH (6.36±0.25).
- Measurement of light reflectance across wavelengths (400-700 nm) and light transmittance.
- Analysis of refractive index differences and myofibrillar refraction effects.
Main Results:
- Low-pH breasts showed significantly higher reflectance (P<0.001).
- High-pH breasts exhibited greater light transmittance into depth and across muscle fibers (P<0.001).
- Greater differences in refractive index were observed in low-pH breasts; shorter wavelengths had higher reflectance and lower transmittance.
Conclusions:
- Myofibrillar refraction significantly contributes to light scattering variations between PSE and DFD chicken meat.
- pH-dependent optical properties are critical determinants of chicken meat appearance.
- These findings align with observations in pork and beef, suggesting a universal mechanism in meat science.
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