November 25, 2013

Conversion of chicken muscle to meat and factors affecting chicken meat quality: a review

Chicken  meat  results  from  overall  biochemical  and  mechanical  changes  of  the  muscles  after slaughtering  process.  The transformation of muscle in meat is a control point in the determinism of meat quality.   Several and complex factors can affect poultry meat quality properties. Therefore, genotype, age, sex, type of muscle, structure of muscle fiber, production system, feeding, feed and water withdrawal, transport, slaughter process, post mortem aging time promote a significant difference in parameters of technological, sensorial and nutritional quality of chicken meat. However, differences in meat quality exist between fast and slow growing chicken genotypes. Furthermore, older chickens present a lower ultimate pH,
redder breast meat, higher shear force and drip loss, lower yield and more important intramuscular fat. At equivalent age, the male chickens are less fatty than the females, while crude protein content is higher in males than females. Production systems,  such  as  traditional  free  range  and  improved  farming,  promote  differences  in  color,  texture,  chemical composition and the fatty acid composition of meat, with the higher protein content, the lower fat content and   favorable fatty acid profile reported from chicken of free range system. The motory activity of bird s in free range results in tough texture and high cooking loss in the meat during heating (80-100°C). Diet composition affects the fatty acid composition and  meat  flavor.  Higher  breast  meat  redness  was  found  in  birds  that  were  transported  for  a shortest  distance  or  not
transported than in those after a longer distance.
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Publisher: International Network for Natural Sciences (INNSPUB)

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