The Influence of the Season and Market Class of Broiler Chickens on Breast Meat Quality Traits

Abstract

The influence of the season and market class of broiler chickens on breast meat quality traits was determined on a total of 18 flocks reared and processed under commercial conditions. According to the Italian poultry production system the following classes of birds were considered: light size (1.2 kg of carcass weight; n = 90) and medium size (1.8 kg of carcass weight; n = 90), represented by females slaughtered at 40 and 52 d old, respectively, whereas heavy size were 57-d-old male broilers (2.4 kg of carcass weight; n = 90). After slaughter, 15 carcasses per flock (n = 270) were randomly collected during winter (n = 135) and summer (n = 135) seasons and used at 24 h postmortem to determine breast (pectoralis major) meat color (lightness, redness, and yellowness), pH, drip and cook loss, as well as Allo-Kramer (AK) shear values. Furthermore, pectoralis minor muscles were used to determine lipid, protein, moisture, and ash content. Finally, because the flocks included white- and yellow-skinned broilers, the color of the carcass skin was measured to assess the relationship between skin and raw breast meat color. With regard to the season, breast meat from birds slaughtered during summer exhibited a paler and less red color, lower pH, higher drip and cook losses, lower AK-shear, and a higher content of moisture and a lower content of protein and ash. In respect to medium and heavy birds, light broilers produced breast meat with higher values of redness, lower pH and cook loss, higher AK-shear values, and a higher content of moisture and ash. Finally, a positive correlation (r = +0.92; P< or = 0.001) between skin and breast meat yellowness was found. These results indicate that during summer, broiler breast meat undergoes a depression of its functionality and quality. Moreover, the market class of birds also determined some differences in breast meat quality attributes.

Differences in the Quality Characteristics between Commercial Korean Native Chickens and Broilers

“…This difference in color might represent an important factor affecting consumers' preferences, considering that Bianchi et al (2007) reported that consumers preferred different colors, depending on their place of residence. Table 3 provides the major fatty acids of the KNC and CB breast and thigh muscles.…”

Comparison of the Chemical Composition, Textural Characteristics, and Sensory Properties of North and South Korean Native Chickens and Commercial Broilers

“…High muscle pH is generally associated with darker meat (Fletcher, 1999). The color difference is an important factor influencing consumer preferences, although these preferences depend on the place of residence (Bianchi et al, 2007). The characteristic difference in color among NKNC, SKNC, and CB may influence the consumer choices.…”

Effect of slaughter season on postmortem metabolic characteristics of muscle in the dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius)

“…Bianchi et al (2007) reported a similar trend for chicken; specifically, they found higher drip loss in summer than in winter. The decrease of water-holding capacity during summer could be attributed to the high muscle temperature recorded during this season.…”

“…Extensive studies have been reported about the effect of slaughter season on meat quality in different species such as rabbit (María et al, 2006), chicken (Bianchi et al, 2007), goat (Kadim et al, 2008b), beef (Węglarz, 2010), lamb (Chulayo and Muchenje, 2013;D'Alessandro et al, 2013;Sanchez-Sanchez et al, 2013) and pig (Correa et al, 2014). However, these aspects were not common for camels.…”