FRAGMENTATION, TENDERNESS, AND POSTMORTEM METABOLISM OF EARLY-HARVESTED BROILER BREAST FILLETS FROM CARCASSES TREATED WITH ELECTRICAL-STIMULATION AND MUSCLE TENSIONING

Two 72-bird trials were conducted to determine the effects of 15 s electrical stimulation (ES) (440 V, 2 s on and 1 s off) and prechill muscle tensioning (MT) on fragmentation, tenderness, and post-mortem metabolism of early-harvested (1 h post-mortem) broiler breast fillets. Compared with controls, all treatments increased sarcomere length and decreased shear value. Electrical stimulation reduced muscle pH values. Histological examination of samples from fillets harvested early and then aged 24 h revealed that all treatments increased fiber disruption compared with controls. Both fragmentation and excessive sarcomere shortening prevention were important to the improvement in fillet tenderness associated with the ES and MT treatments.