(Dr Manish Kumar Chatli
Professor and Head,
Department of Livestock Products Technology,
College of Veterinary Science, GADVASU, Ludhiana
Email: chatlimanish@gmail.com)
Tenderness of meat is the most important quality attribute sought out by the consumers.
Various pre-slaughter and post-slaughter factors and their mutual effects influence tenderness of meat.
The most important pre-slaughter factors include:
age,
species,
sex,
breed,
feeding of animals,
degree of stress prior to slaughter, etc.
Post-slaughter transformations, including rigor mortis and ageing/conditioning, have a crucial influence on meat tenderness.
As it is an important eating quality parameter, a lot of attempts have been made in developing tenderizing tools for tough carcasses.
Various methods like use of enzymes viz. papain, enzyme derived from papya; ficinderived from figs; or bromelin enzyme of the pineapple can be used.
Alternatively, infusion or injection of calcium chloride can also be used to accelerate the tenderization process.
In addition to it, physical methods of blade tenderization, mincing, multiple needle insertions etc. are also employed.
Other than calcium chloride infusion and enzymes, various novel methods for tenderization can be employed at the industrial scale such as low voltage electrical stimulation, high efficiency sparkers, blade tenderization, ultrasound application and use of high pressure for yielding better results.
The layer birds after completing laying cycle are known as Spent Hens.
The meat of spent hens is tough and low juiciness.
It is tough to chew and products prepared from this meat are not very acceptable amongst consumers.
The spent hen meat sold at very low price (Rs 15-25/kg) and is not at all profitable.
It reduces the profitability to the layer farmers.
Spent hen meat is a challenge for the processors around the globe.
It is imperative that the spent hen meat should be adequately tenderized in order to enhance its acceptability.
In many parts of the world including North America, Europe etcthe poultry meat/cut-up-parts/carcass is sold after the injection of the mixture of flavour enhancers, phosphates, tenderizers etc. into the muscles with the help of technique called stitch pumping using multiple injection technique.
Thereafter the poultry carcasses/cut-up-parts are frozen and the cooked product has better flavour, juiciness and tenderness.
Further, it increases the weight of the poultry carcasses, so improve the profitability manifold.
It has dual advantages; on one hand it helps in making muscle tender and on other hand it provides distinct aroma and colour to meat.
Department of LPT, GADVASU has also developed a tenderization mixture, which can be utilized as curing ingredient, can be used as seasoning during cooking and its solution can be injected in the carcass also.
In all these cases, it helps in reducing the toughness and the products developed from tenderized meat have enhanced acceptability due to increased tenderness and juiciness.
In addition, department has also standardized various formulations for the development of various processed products from spent hen meat such as meat pickle, meat sausages, meat cutlets, meat nuggets, meat burger patties etc.
This can be a profitable venture for the small meat processor or poultry farmers.
Quality Improvement of Broiler Meat
No doubt, Broiler meat is widely accepted among the masses. However, it is maligned by various quarters as flavourless, highly tender, soggy meat or meat with gummy texture etc.
On comparison to the meat of desi fowl it is always ranked lower. In this regard, Department of LPT, GADVASU has also standardized the formulation for the curing mixture, which when applied on the broiler carcass or the carcass is dipped into the solution of the marinating mixture, it improves its flavour and texture leading to better acceptability and finally higher revenue generation.
The improved sensory quality is maintained during the development of further processed products such as meat nuggets, meat balls/koftas, sausages etc.
