30C-24 |
Cooking yields and textural characteristics of grilled chicken breast filets as affected by pH of marinade |
Y. C. CHEN, Poultry Science, Mississippi State University, Miss. State, MS 39762 and T. C. Chen, Poultry Science, Mississippi State Univerity, Miss. State, MS 39762. Grilled poultry products have become more and more popular. According to a survey conducted by Food Research Institute Inc. in 1998, among the cooking methods for chicken products, 41% were grilled, 34% were fried, 14% were baked, and 11% were the others. However, tenderness and yields of grilled products have been of major concerns to the processors. Our objectives were to investigate the effects of marinade pH on cooking yields and textural characteristics of grilled chicken breast fillets. Chicken breast fillets were either marinated for five minutes in phosphate buffers with pH ranging from 5.0 to 7.5 or with marinades prepared with a commercial polyphosphate mixture (Kena) and vinegar with the same pH ranges. The marinated fillets were then grilled at 149 C to an internal temperature of 68.3 C. The cooking yields and WB shear values of the grilled fillet were measured and statistically analyzed. Our results showed that marinating chicken fillets in a phosphate buffer with pH of 5.5 resulted in lowest (P<0.05) grilling yields and highest (P<0.05) WB shear readings for the products. As the pH of phosphate buffer marinades decreased or increased, a trend in decreasing in WB shear readings and increasing in grilling yields was observed. For fillets marinated with either vinegar or polyphosphate mixture, except for pH 5.5, no differences (P>0.05) in shear values were observed. Adjusting marinade pH to 7.0 with polyphosphate mixture resulted in the highest (P<0.05) grilling yields as compared with those of marinades with pH of 5.5, 6.0, and 7.5. Results demonstrated that the marinade pH should be considered for marinating chicken fillets. Regardless of the ingredients, pH of 5.5 marinades should be avoided by the processors.
Session 30C, Muscle Foods: Tenderness, Quality, Processing, Marination, Oxidation, and Shelf-Life
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