Effects of broiler carcass scalding and chilling methods on quality of early-deboned breast fillets.

The impact of scalding and chilling methods on quality of broiler breast fillets (pectoralis major) was evaluated. In 4 replications, 6- to 7-wk-old male and female broilers were slaughtered and scalded either at 60°C for 1.5 min (hard scalding) or 52.8°C for 3 min (soft scalding). Following evisceration, the carcasses were either air-chilled (0.5°C, 120 min) or immersion-chilled in water and ice (79 L/carcass, 0.5°C, 40 min, air agitated). Breast fillets were removed from the carcass within 4 h postmortem. Quality attributes including fillet color (both dorsal-bone and ventral-skin sides), pH, total moisture content, water-holding capacity (drip loss and cook loss), and Warner-Bratzler shear force were determined. Significant interactions between replication and scalding were found for pH, ventral side redness (a*) value, and cook loss and between replication and chilling for pH and ventral side a* and yellowness (b*) values. There were no interactions (P > 0.05) between chilling and scalding methods for any of the measurements. Immersion chilling resulted in higher (P < 0.05) ventral side lightness (L*) values, dorsal side b* values, drip loss, cook loss, and shear force compared with air chilling. No significant differences (P > 0.05) between the 2 scalding methods were observed for any of the quality attributes. These results indicate that broiler carcass chilling method has a much greater impact on quality of breast meat than scalding method and that the influence of chilling on breast meat quality is independent of scalding treatment.