Effects of low-temperature tumbling on the quality characteristics of restructured chicken breast ham

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of tumbling condition (time and temperature) on the quality characteristics of restructured chicken breast ham. Tumbling conditions were 10, 30, and 60 min at 3 or -3°C, respectively. After tumbling, quality characteristic regarding the treatments processed by each condition were measured. There were no significant differences in pH levels among tumbling time or temperature. Treatments involving 60 min of tumbling had significantly higher water holding capacity (WHC) than that tumbled for 10 min, but WHC was not affected by the tumbling temperature. The tumbling condition at -3°C for 60 min demonstrated the most effective cooking yields for restructured chicken breast ham. Myofibrillar protein solubility of treatments tumbled for 60 min had the highest value of all, regardless of tumbling temperature. The hardness of treatments tumbled at -3°C were lower than those at 3°C; however, the springiness of treatments tumbled for 60 min were significantly higher than those regarding the treatments tumbled for 10 and 30 min. Therefore, tumbling technology for 30 min or more at -3°C can produce restructured chicken breast ham of excellent quality.