Physicochemical properties of steak made of post laying hen breast meat thawed using various methods

Abstract

Abstract Meat that has been undergoing the thawing process could affect the quality of a processed meat being produced such as steak. The study aims to know the effect of different thawing method of steak produced from post laying hen breast meat on pH, cooking loss, water holding capacity, hardness, fat content and also protein level, profile and the microstructure. This research was conducted using completely randomized design with 4 treatments and 5 replications T0 as a control, without freezing and thawing treatment; T1 by immersing frozen meat in water at ± 20°C; T2 with water flowing at ± 30°C; T3 with immersing frozen meat in water at ± 40°C (water bath). The pH, cooking loss, water holding capacity, hardness, fat, crude and dissolved protein content was analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with a 95% significance, furthermore Duncan’s Multiple Range Test was utilized to determine the significant difference among results. Protein profile was characterized by SDS-PAGE which was carried out using standard methods while the microstructure was assessed using SEM testing. The research indicated that thawing treatment by immersing the meat in water at 20°C produced the most optimum physicochemical properties of steak made of post laying hen breast meat.