Instrumental texture characteristics of broiler pectoralis major with the wooden breast condition

The objective was to characterize texture properties of raw and cooked broiler fillets (Pectoralis major) with the wooden breast condition (WBC) using the instrumental texture techniques of Meullenet-Owens Razor Shear (MORS) and Texture Profile Analysis (TPA). Deboned (3 h postmortem) broiler fillets were collected from a commercial plant and categorized as normal, moderate, or severe WBC based on the incidence and severity of diffuse hardened areas throughout fillets and the degree of palpable hardness. The fillets were then either stored at 4°C overnight or in a -20°C freezer. The MORS and TPA of the raw samples were determined at 24 h postmortem for fresh samples and after thawing overnight for frozen samples. The same measurements were also taken after the samples were cooked to 78°C. Regardless of freshness (fresh vs. frozen-thawed), cooking (raw vs. cooked), and degree of WBC, both MORS force and energy of the WBC samples were higher than that of the normal samples (P < 0.05). For TPA adhesiveness and resilience, there were no differences between normal and WBC samples (P > 0.05). However, average TPA hardness and chewiness measurements of the fillets with WBC were higher than the normal fillets (P < 0.05). Regardless of texture measurement, there were no interactions between freshness and the wooden condition or no differences between moderate and severe WBC fillets (P > 0.05). These results demonstrate that there are significant differences in instrumental texture properties between normal fillets and those exhibiting the WBC. The WBC fillets required more force to cut through, harder, and chewier than normal breast muscles. These results suggest that cooked WBC meat would likely be tougher than cooked normal meat.