Tenderness and R-Value Changes in Early Harvested Broiler Breast Tissue Following Post-Mortem Electrical Stimulation

Abstract

This study was designed to compare tenderness (shear force) and post-mortem metabolism at time of boning (R value) of broiler breast fillets harvested from a total of 200 electrically stimulated carcasses (840 V, 340 mA, pulsed 2 s on, 1 s off for 15 s) and 200 nonstimulated (control) carcasses at various times post-mortem up to 240 min. As on-carcass aging time was increased prior to fillet harvesting, shear force values decreased for fillets from both electrically stimulated and nonstimulated carcasses. However, regression analysis of the data indicated that fillets harvested 100 min post-mortem from electrically stimulated carcasses were as tender as fillets harvested at 240 min post-mortem from nonstimulated carcasses. For those processors currently holding broiler carcasses for 3 to 4 h after chilling prior to boning, electrical stimulation would provide a decrease of approximately 60% in the holding time to reach tenderness levels similar to those attained without electrical stimulation. Electrical stimulation did not have a significant effect on the rate of post-mortem metabolism as measured by R value.