Tenderization of Spent Hen Muscle Using Papain, Bromelin, or Ficin Alone and in Combination with Salts

Abstract

Breast muscles from spent hens were tenderized before cooking. Taste panel scores, shear press measurements, and percentage of cooking loss, shrinkage, and soak pickup of fillets treated with papain, bromelin, or ficin alone or in combination with sodium chloride and phosphate solutions were determined using a balanced incomplete block design with eight replications per treatment. There were no significant differences between treatments for flavor, overall acceptability, or percentage of shrinkage. Samples that were blade-tenderized were significantly more tender than the controls, and samples soaked in solutions of .002% papain, .003% bromelin, and .002% ficin were significantly more tender than the blade-tenderized controls. Fillets soaked in papain were significantly more tender than those soaked in solutions of either bromelin or ficin. Samples soaked in 1% sodium chloride and 6% Kena FP-28 alone were as tender as those soaked in solutions of either bromelin or ficin. Fillets soaked in solutions of 1% sodium chloride and 6% Kena FP-28 plus either papain, bromelin, or ficin were significantly more tender than all other treatments. Those treated with sodium chloride plus Kena FP-28 plus papain were the most tender. Taste panel values and shear press values for tenderness gave a correlation coefficient of r=−.984. The controls and samples treated with sodium chloride and Kena FP-28 were significantly juicier than the other treatments. Fillets soaked in solutions of sodium chloride and Kena FP-28 had a signficiantly higher solution pickup.