Water-holding properties of thermally preconditioned chicken breast and leg meat

A study was conducted to examine the effects of thermal preconditioning on the water-holding properties of chicken breast and leg meat. An initial experiment was performed by heat shocking (40 to 41 C for 1 h) and euthanatizing broilers at 3 to 6 wk of age. As seen commercially, heat caused higher drip loss, and the majority of this loss for breast (75 to 80%) and leg (90 to 100%) meat occurred within 3 d post-mortem. A second study with 6-wk-old broilers tested the following treatments: control (25 C), heat shock (40 to 41 C for 1 h), preconditioned control (3 consecutive d of exposure to 35 C for 3 h followed by a 21-h recovery between each exposure), and preconditioned (same as preconditioned control with an added heat shock on the final day). Thermal preconditioning did not circumvent the water-holding problems associated with heat shock. Meat from chickens exposed to heat lost significant amounts of drip during the crucial processing period--the first 6 h after death. In general, leg meat had lower drip loss and higher held water than breast, but cooked leg meat had lower held water. Treatment and meat type were significant (P < .05) in determining drip and cook loss. Preconditioned and heat shock breast meat appeared pale, soft, and exudative, similar to a condition found in pork. Thermal preconditioning does not prevent the loss in water-holding properties associated with heat.