Physicochemical and biochemical parameters of chicken breast meat influenced by stunning methods.

The influence of stunning methods on the physicochemical and biochemical parameters of chicken breast meat, as indicators of bird stress, was investigated. A total of 200 Cobb broiler chickens aged from 42 to 48 d were submitted to gas or electrical stunning and slaughtered according to the standard industry practice. Pectoralis major muscles (24 h post-mortem) from broilers stunned by electronarcosis exhibited a higher L* and R-value and lower pH45min than did those from gas stunning, indicating modification of the glycolytic rate. Protease activity, measured as the myofibril fragmentation index, and the sarcoplasmic Ca2+ concentration were highest in samples from broilers stunned by electronarcosis, suggesting the greatest activity of the calpain system. In the fatty acid profile, a higher ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids was observed in samples from broilers stunned by electronarcosis. These characteristics are related to phospholipase A2 activity, which is higher in animal stress conditions. These results indicated that the gas-stunning method produced less bird stress than electrical stunning.