Abstract
The underlying changes in hen carcass color upon freezing were compared with the color of meat-type male pheasants upon freezing. Chemical and physical assessments of these two pheasant types (n=5) and the effects of different chilling methods on hen carcasses (n=10) were evaluated. The results showed that hen carcasses exhibited more red pigmentation (myoglobin, hemoglobin), as well as significantly higher pH values and redness, than the carcasses from meat-type pheasants. The moisture content was higher in hens than in meat-type pheasants, especially in the skin. The intermediate fiber (IIA) type was the only type found in the pectoralis major muscle, regardless of pheasant type. Chilling method significantly changed the color attributes of the hen carcass. Immersion chilling decreased skin redness (less pigmentation and Commission Internationale de l ́Eclairage [CIE] a*); the breast meat was less red than that from the chilling-in-a-bag condition. The skin had substantially higher levels of red pigmentation than the breast muscles, irrespective of the pheasant type and chilling method (P < 0.05). Our findings suggest that the more intense red appearance may be related to a combination of greater residual hemoglobin levels and higher pH within the skin. The greater moisture content of the skin may have facilitated the development of greater transparency to the darker, more red breast muscle.
Highlights
Color and appearance are common variables that influence consumers’ decisions in buying meat
Hen carcasses assigned to the CB method were individually weighed, tagged, and placed in a plastic bag, which was sealed before placement into the plastic coolers
The results of the current study reveal that hen carcasses had higher red pigmentation and exhibited significantly higher pH values, redness, and Mb/Hb levels than the meat-type pheasants
Summary
Color and appearance are common variables that influence consumers’ decisions in buying meat. The changes in the color associated with the muscle and blood pigments (myoglobin [Mb] and hemoglobin [Hb], respectively) determine the freshness and quality of meat to some extent. Color plays an important role in the acceptability of meat and poultry (Mancini and Hunt, 2005; Suman and Joseph, 2013). Mb is the primary meat pigment that imparts red color to a well-bled livestock carcass (Wittenberg and Wittenberg, 2003). The different colors of meat reflect the amount of Mb present in the muscle, which is indicative of the muscle’s physical activity. Game birds (such as pheasants, geese, and ducks) tend to have darker breast meat than domesticated animals (Stoker, 2013)
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