The success of the poultry industry has been fueled by the ability to economically produce acceptable products. This accomplishment has been achieved through high selection intensities, shorter generation intervals and reduced environmental influences (Anthony, 1998). However, it is becoming more apparent that such advances parallel an increase in the incidence of muscle quality related problems often described atypical or pale, soft, exudative (PSE) poultry.
 
 

The poultry industry finds this defect in cooked whole muscle or sectioned and formed turkey and chicken products. The photograph to the right is a turkey product. Typically the defect is described as having a pasty, soft texture, slightly pale, and in some cases watery.  Although the classical biochemical mechanisms that are well understood in pork also fit the changes in the functional properties of the proteins in raw poultry, they can not be consistently used to identify affected raw poultry that produces the defect in the cooked product described above.

Visually selecting "defective" turkey breasts based on criteria established by the industry has not been an effective means of identifying turkey that will cause the defect in the cooked product. In the photograph to the right, is an example of turkey muscle that illustrates the "defective" uncooked muscle. The breast muscle appears stressed in that there is distinct muscle bundle/fiber separation.

Research has also evaluated the effects of breast lightness (Photograph to the right) in terms of its potential relationship to the atypical turkey. This natural variation in the uncooked breast does not appear to have any relationship to this defect.

Several other projects have been undertaken to determine the effect of various preslaughter stress, dietary alterations, and abusive delayed chilling conditions.

Listed below are some of the projects that have been conducted and manuscripts are being prepared for submitting to Refereed Journals.

Claus, J.R. and Williams, H.L. Evaluation of Color Related to Atypicial, PSE-Like, Turkey Breast Meat.

Claus, J.R. and Williams, H.L. Temperature Effects on Turkey Musculature.

Claus, J.R., Williams, H.L., Graham, P.P., Marcy, J.E., and Wolford, J.H. Effect of ambient oxygen and carbon dioxide on the characteristics of boneless and skinless turkey meat .

Williams, H.L., Claus, J.R., and Wolford, J.H. Dietary Alterations (ad lib, restricted diet) on Muscle Histology and Processing Characteristics in Market Age Male Turkeys

Williams, H.L., Claus, J.R., Graham, P.P., and Wolford, J.H. Stunning methodology on carcass defects and postmortem physiology.

*USER NOTES: For links to PDF files use- Adobe Acrobat

BACK to Research Home Page

All rights reserved on contents of this page and links. Copyright (C) 1998, Dr. James R. Claus.