Use of blade tenderization to improve wooden breast meat texture

Abstract

The effectiveness of blade tenderization (BT) in improving the texture of wooden breast (WB) meat was evaluated through compression and shear analyses. Butterfly fillets (n = 144) were collected during 3 sampling replications and scored as normal (NORM), moderate (WB MOD), or severe wooden breast (WB SEV). One side from each butterfly was blade tenderized and the other side served as an untreated control. Fillets were subjected to both compression and shear analyses in either the raw or cooked state. At 24 h postmortem, drip loss, pH, and color traits were assessed on raw fillets. Muscle condition (M), treatment (T), measurement location (L), and their interaction effects were investigated. WB fillets were heavier (P < 0.0001) and possessed greater pH (P < 0.0001) than NORM fillets. L*a*b* values on the skin side were increased in WB fillets (P < 0.0001), as were drip and cook loss (P < 0.0001). Irrespective of degree of severity, WB meat was harder as evidenced by greater compression force (P < 0.0001) in both raw and cooked fillets. Shear force of raw meat progressively increased from NORM to WB SEV (P < 0.0001) but there were no shear differences between NORM and WB MOD after cooking. Blade tenderization decreased compression and shear values in both raw and cooked WB fillets compared to untreated controls (P < 0.01). The significance of location effect for compression force (P < 0.0001) suggested that WB texture was not uniform within the same fillet. In raw fillets, an M × T interaction (P < 0.0001) was found for both compression and shear values and indicated that blade-tenderized WB MOD and WB SEV still possessed harder texture than NORM meat. However, the cooked shear values of WB SEV fillets subjected to BT were similar to those of untreated NORM fillets. Therefore, BT improved, but did not fully resolve the issues of abnormal tactile and texture characteristics in WB meat in either the raw or cooked state.