Cooked and Organoleptic Characteristics of Scaleless Broiler Chickens , ,

Abstract

Eight-week old broilers which were phenotypically scaleless (sc/sc) and feathered (Sc+/sc), and which had been raised at both 22.2 C and 34.4 C were compared for cooked and organoleptic measurements. The seven cooked chicken measurements were breast and thigh moisture and fat content, carcass cooking loss, and breast muscle and thigh skin shear test. There were no sex differences in any measurements, and temperature only affected fat content of breast muscle causing an increase in the hot room. Significant phenotype differences were evident in all traits except moisture content. Scaleless birds had less fat in both breast (56.8%) and thigh muscle (19.2%), reduced cooking losses (17.5%), and were more tender in both breast muscle (52.4%) and thigh skin (60.9%).A paired comparison preference test was used for organoleptic measurements using a taste panel of 35 tasters. A significant portion of the tasters were able to perceive a difference in both breast (100%) and thigh (85.7%) muscle. No significant differences were noted for moistness, texture or flavorfulness of thigh muscle however, but a significant 74.3% felt that breast muscle from scaleless broilers was more moist and 71.4% felt it had a smoother texture. No difference in flavorfulness was noted.