Broiler breast meat color variation, pH, and texture

Four experiments were conducted to determine the range of breast meat color variation observed in commercial processing plants and its relationship to muscle pH and texture. Boneless, skinless breast fillets were collected weekly from the deboning lines of five commercial processing plants over a 4-wk period. Plant personnel selected breast fillets based on their appearance as being "lighter than normal," "normal," or "darker than normal" in color. Five representative fillets of each appearance classification were transported to a central laboratory for analyses of visual score (1 to 5 with 1 = light, 3 = normal, or 5 = dark), instrumental color, muscle pH, and Allo-Kramer shear (n = 300). Visual scores, lightness (L*), redness (a"), and pH were different (P < 0.05) among the three appearance groups, with no significant differences in yellowness (b*). Visual scores averaged 2.4, 3.0, and 3.6, L* was 48.8, 45.6, and 43.1, and pH was 5.63, 5.70, and 5.81 for the lighter, normal, and darker fillets, respectively. There were no significant effects of color group on breast meat texture. Correlations between the color values and pH, however, were all highly significant. These results not only indicate that there are wide variations in breast meat color in commercial production, but they also demonstrate a strong relationship between breast meat color and muscle pH.