In evaluating the quality of chicken breast meat regarding the effects of pre-slaughter severe heat stress (35°C, 75% relative humidity, for 2 hours), it was observed that the intense energy expenditure of the animal at the moment of stress resulted in a slight extension of glicolysis, generating as a consequence, mainly, characteristics of darkening and high levels of pH, on the meat. The use of marination in an attempt to restore meat with damaged functional properties due to stress resulted in the standardization of appearance and in leveling of pH between the treatments (stressed and non-stressed animal meat). In the last chapter, it was possible to observe the existence of strong correlation between the color and the other quality attributes and that the lightness can be used as a classification tool (minimum level L*=53, measured 24 hours postmortem). As for the marination process, it was observed that the technique partly restores the quality of pale meat, promoting a visual improvement of the color, however, it does not correct the proteins functionality to retain water at the same level of normal meat.