Effect of Tumbling Chill-Boned and Hot-Boned Broiler Breasts in Either Acetic Acid or Sodium Chloride Solutions on Cooked Yield, Density, and Shear Values

Abstract

Experiments were conducted to determine the effect of precook treatment of chill-boned and hot-boned broiler breasts with either acetic acid or NaCl solutions on yield, density, and shear values. Experiments 1 and 2 consisted of tumbling chill-boned broiler breasts in either 1, 2, or 4% NaCl and 1.25, 5, or 10% acetic acid. Breasts were held for either 15, 30, 60, or 180 min before cooking. In Experiments 3 and 4, hot-boned broiler breasts were tumbled in either 4% NaCl or 5% acetic acid. They were tumbled for 5 min and held for either 10, 15, or 30 min before cooking in Experiment 3. In Experiment 4, the breasts were tumbled for either 1, 3, 5, or 10 min and held for 15 min before cooking. Results indicated that tumbling chill-boned breasts in 4% NaCl solutions increased (P<.05) tumbling solution gains and tumbling in concentrations of 1 and 2% reduced (P<.05) solution gains when compared with samples tumbled in water. These gains were lost when the product was cooked. Holding time after tumbling increased (P<.05) tumbling solution pickup after 15 and 30 min for breasts tumbled in 2 and 4% NaCl and after 15 min in those tumbled in 1% NaCl. Neither treatment nor holding time produced trends in shear values and density of the samples. Tumbling chill-boned broilers in acetic acid solutions increased (P<.05) solution gains in breasts tumbled in 5 and 10% NaCl concentrations. Cooking losses were largest (P<.05) after cooking breasts tumbled in 10% acetic acid followed by the 5% treatment. Tumbling in 1.25% acetic acid produced no change in either solution gains or cooking losses when compared with samples that were not tumbled. Holding samples for 15 min after tumbling resulted in the largest solution gain (P<.05), and the largest (P<.05) cooking losses were after tumbling in 5% acetic acid for 15 min and in 10% acetic acid for 30 min. When overall yield was calculated, tumbling in 5% acid resulted in smaller losses than the control, and the 10% acid treatment produced a gain (P<.05) in yield. Significant (P<.05) differences were found in sample density but not shear values. Hot-boned breasts tumbled in 5% acetic acid had more (P<.05) tumbling solution gain and larger (P<.05) cooking losses than the breasts tumbled in 4% NaCl. This resulted in no difference between the two in overall yield. Holding time after tumbling had a greater (P<.05) effect on the acid-treated breasts than the NaCl-treated breasts. Increased holding time from 0 to 30 min resulted in decreased (P<.05) solution gains and cooking losses. Acid treatment, NaCl treatment, and holding time had little effect on shear values and density. The increasing length of time (1, 2, 5, and 10 min) that the hot-boned breasts were tumbled in either acid or NaCl increased (P<.05) solution gain and cooking losses in the 5% acid treated breasts. No changes were found after tumbling in 4% NaCl. The breasts treated with 4% NaCl were more dense after tumbling for 0, 1, and 5 min than those tumbled in 5% acetic acid. Breasts tumbled in 4% NaCl had lower shear values than those tumbled in 5% acetic acid.