The relationship of broiler breast meat color and pH to shelf-life and odor development.

Experiments were conducted to compare the shelf-life of dark-colored and light-colored broiler breast meat. In each of three trials, 100 breast fillets were obtained from a commercial processing plant and subjectively categorized as "dark" or "light". The 100 fillets were then objectively evaluated for C.I.E. color values (lightness, redness, and yellowness). The fillets were separated into five storage groups, with each group containing 10 dark and 10 light fillets, and the fillets were held at 3 C for 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 d. On each sampling day, fillets were evaluated in duplicate for psychrotrophic plate count (PPC), capacitance detection time (CDT), pH, and subjective odor evaluation. Dark fillets had significantly (P < 0.05) lower lightness values (L*), higher redness values (a*), lower yellowness values (b*), and higher pH values. Regression coefficients for odor scores resulted in darker fillets having significantly (P < 0.05) higher slopes than lighter-colored fillets even though intercept values were similar. Significant correlations existed between pH and color as well as odor, CDT, and PPC. These data suggest that darker broiler breast meat fillets have a shorter shelf-life than lighter breast fillets; the shorter shelf-life may be due to differences in pH.