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Incidence of Pectoralis Major Turkey Muscles with Light and Dark Color in a Portuguese Slaughterhouse

Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa, Av. da Universidade Técnica, Polo Universitário, Alto da Ajuda, 1300-477 Lisboa, Portugal

¹ Corresponding author: mjoaofraqueza{at}fmv.utl.pt

Turkey meat and processed products are very popular in Portugal. However, no studies have been made to assess turkey meat quality. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of turkey breast meat in a Portuguese slaughterhouse, differentiating it to obtain better industrial management, performance, and consumer contentment. Nine hundred and seventy-seven male turkeys (from 16 to 20 wk old) from different flocks (BUT 9 and BIG 6) were evaluated to assess meat quality. Turkeys were slaughtered on different days, electrically stunned (225 V/3 s), and scalded in a vertical water bath at 81°C/5 min. On the slaughter line, the pH and temperature were measured on the pectoralis muscle 15 min postmortem. The carcasses were fast-cooled in a tunnel (–2°C/2 m·s^–1/90% RH) for 2 h and kept in a refrigeration chamber (0°C/85% RH) until deboning (approximately 24 h postmortem). Color and pH 24 h postmortem (pH₂₄) were measured on the pectoralis major muscle after carcass deboning. Pectoralis major muscles were selected according to criteria used by Barbut (1996) and drip loss, cooking loss, and total pigments analysis were performed on 67 different sliced meat samples. Muscles classified by pH decline rate, called rapid glycolytic, did not present final quality characteristics that could relate them with pale, soft, and exudative- (PSE) like meat, because there was no relationship between pH 15 h postmortem and lightness (L*), drip loss, or cooking loss. The differences, founded on physicochemical characteristics within pectoralis major muscles, allowed us to establish a criteria of turkey meat quality for dark and PSE-like meat, with L* 44 and pH₂₄ 5.8 and L* 50 and pH₂₄ < 5.8, respectively. Based on criteria, the studied population presented 8.1% of carcasses with PSE-like muscles and 12.1% with dark muscles. The association of pH₂₄ and L* as criteria classification can be useful to classify turkey meat quality.

Key Words: poultry meat • turkey • color • pH • meat quality

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