Effects of Different Thawing Techniques on the Meat Quality of Local and Commercial Broiler Chickens

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of different techniques on post-thawing meat quality of broiler breast meat. In the study, breast meat samples of local Anadolu-T and commercial Cobb500 broiler were taken from chicken carcasses slaughtered under standard conditions and stored by frozen techniques at -18 °C for 17 months. Frozen meat samples of both genotypes were thawed in three different ways: thawing at room temperature, thawing in cold water, and thawing in the fridge until the central temperature of the meat reached 0 °C. Shear values, meat pH, color characteristics (L*, a*, b* values), and some chemical properties of meat were measured after the thawing process. Meat thawing technique significantly affected the cooking loss and peak shear force values of the samples (P<0.005 and P<0.002). There were significant effects of genotype and thawing technique on meat pH (P<0.001 and P<0.014), and genotype x thawing technique interaction for meat pH was found to be significant (P<0.007). Genotype and thawing technique also had a significant effect on meat brightness (P<0.048 and P<0.034). Based on the overall results, cold water thawing with a tight bag is the most favorable approach in terms of meat quality investigated.

Keywords

• Anadolu-T
• broiler
• thawing techniques
• breast meat
• meat quality

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