Enhancing texture and tenderness in poultry meat

Abstract

The texture and tenderness of poultry meat are key factors in ensuring consumer satisfaction, and these qualities are significantly affected by how birds are treated before, during and after slaughter. This chapter begins by explaining how, after slaughter, the decline of muscle pH and the development of rigor mortis affect meat tenderness. We then examine the effect of the important process of chilling on meat tenderness. The problem of pale, soft and exudative (PSE) meat is considered, and the crust-freeze-air-chilling (CFAC) technique is given particular emphasis as a means of minimizing the occurrence of this defect. We then consider various processing techniques for improving the tenderness of poultry meat, including mechanical tenderization, muscle tensioning, electrical stimulation and marination.