Palatability and Doneness of Right and Left Sides of Turkeys Roasted to Selected End Point Temperatures

Abstract

CONSIDERABLE research time could be saved in working with whole turkeys if no differences exist between right and left sides of the birds. Test results of only one side could be projected to the whole turkey. Measuring tenderness of chickens, Paul el al. (1959) noted that using right and left sides of the same carcass reduced experimental error more than using maternal half-sibs. Hoffert et al. (1952) reported that the right and left sides of 4–5 lb. roasters had the same composition (particularly fat) and that the muscle proteins reacted similarly to heat. However, they did not report verifying data. In roasting turkeys, the point of optimum doneness is difficult to determine. Subjective tests, such as feeling the flesh, moving a joint or pricking the flesh with a fork have given inconsistent results (Alexander et al., 1951). Doneness of roasted turkeys also has been determined by using time…