Inhibition of pink color development in cooked, uncured turkey breast through ingredient incorporation

Limiting Pink Discoloration in Cooked Ground Turkey in the Absence or Presence of Sodium Tripolyphosphate Produced from Presalted and Stored Raw Ground Breasts

The effects of pink inhibiting ingredients (PII) to eliminate the pink color defect in cooked turkey breast produced from presalted and stored raw ground turkey in the absence or presence of sodium tripolyphosphate (STP) were examined. Ground turkey breast was mixed with 2% sodium chloride and vacuum packaged. After storage for 6 d, ten PII were individually incorporated without or with added STP (0.5%) as follows: none (control), citric acid (CA; 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%), calcium chloride (CC; 0.025%, 0.05%), ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt (EDTA; 0.005%, 0.01%), and sodium citrate (SC; 0.5%, 1.0%). Treatments were cooked at a fast or slow cooking rate, cooled, and stored before analysis. All PII tested were capable of lowering inherent pink color compared to the control (No STP: CIE a* pooled day reduction of 23.0%, 5.2%, 12.6%, and 12.6% for CA, CC, EDTA, and SC, respectively; STP: reduction of 21.5%, 17.4%, 6.0%, and 18.2% for CA, CC, EDTA, and SC, respectively). For samples without STP, fast cooking rate resulted in higher CIE a*. However, slow cooking resulted in more red products than fast cooking when samples included STP. Presalting and storage of ground turkey caused the pink discoloration in uncured, cooked turkey (CIE a* 6.24 and 5.12 for without and with STP). This pink discoloration can be decreased by inclusion of CA, CC, EDTA, or SC, but incorporation of CA decreased cooking yield. In particular, the addition of SC may provide some control without negatively impacting the cooking yield.

The Effects of Addition Timing of NaCl and Sodium Tripolyphosphate and Cooking Rate on Pink Color in Cooked Ground Chicken Breasts

The current study investigated the effects of timing of NaCl (2%) and sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP, 0.5%) addition and cooking rates on color and pigment properties of ground chicken breasts. Four treatments were tested as follows: treatment 1, no NaCl and STPP added and stored for 7 d; treatment 2, NaCl+STPP added on 0 d and stored for 7 d; treatment 3, NaCl added on 0 d and STPP added on 7 d; and treatment 4, stored for 7 d and NaCl+STPP added. All samples were cooked at a fast (5.67°C/min) or slow cooking rate (2.16°C/min). Regardless of the timing of NaCl and STPP addition, reflectance ratios of nitrosyl hemochrome, cooking yield, pH values, oxidation-reduction potential, and percent myoglobin denaturation were similar (p>0.05) across treatments 2, 3, and 4. The highest CIE a* values were observed in treatment 4 (p<0.05), while treatment 2 was effective in reducing the redness in cooked chicken products. The fast cooking rate resulted in lower CIE a* values and higher CIE L* values and cooking yield in cooked chicken breasts compared to the slow cooking rate. Our results indicate that adding NaCl and STPP to meat, followed by storing and cooking at a fast rate, may result in inhibiting the pink color defect sporadically occurred in cooked ground chicken breasts.

Effect of NaCl Concentration and Cooking Temperature on the Color and Pigment Characteristics of Presalted Ground Chicken Breasts

This study was conducted to determine the effects of NaCl concentration and cooking temperature on the color and pigment characteristics of presalted ground chicken breasts. Four treatments with different salt concentrations (0%, 1%, 2%, and 3%) were prepared and stored for 7 d prior to cooking. Each sample was cooked to four endpoint temperatures (70°C, 75°C, 80°C, and 85°C). The salt concentration affected the color and pigment properties of the cooked ground chicken breasts. As the salt concentration increased, the cooking yield and residual nitrite content also increased. However, the samples with 1%, 2%, and 3% NaCl showed similar nitrosyl hemochrome and total pigment contents. Among the products containing salt, the samples with 3% NaCl showed the lowest percentage myoglobin denaturation (PMD) and the lowest CIE a* values. The cooking temperature had limited effects on the pigment properties of cooked ground chicken breasts. The oxidation-reduction potential and residual nitrite contents increased with cooking temperature, while the PMD, nitrosyl hemochrome, total pigment contents and CIE a* values were similar in the samples cooked at different temperatures. These results indicated that the addition of up to 2% salt to ground chicken breasts and storage for 7 d could cause the pink color defect of cooked products. However, the addition of 3% NaCl could reduce the redness of the cooked products.

Effects of Short-Term Presalting and Salt Level on the Development of Pink Color in Cooked Chicken Breasts

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of short-term presalting on pink color and pigment characteristics in ground chicken breasts after cooking. Four salt levels (0%, 1%, 2%, and 3%) were presalted and stored for 0 and 3 d prior to cooking. Cooking yield was increased as salt level was increased. However, no significant differences in pH values or oxidation reduction potential (ORP) of cooked chicken breasts were observed. Cooked products with more than 2% of salt level had less redder (lower CIE a* value) on day 3 than on those on day 0. As salt level was increased to 2%, myoglobin was denatured greatly. Myoglobin denaturation was leveled off when samples had 3% of salt. With increasing salt levels, residual nitrite contents were increased while nitrosyl hemochrome contents were decreased. These results demonstrate that salt addition to a level of more than 2% to ground meat may reduce the redness of cooked products and that presalting storage longer than 3 d should be employed to develop a natural pink color of ground chicken products when less than 1% salt is added to ground chicken meat.

Calcium chloride and tricalcium phosphate effects on the pink color defect in cooked ground and intact turkey breast

Calcium chloride (250, 500ppm) was examined for its ability to reduce the pink color defect induced by sodium nitrite (10ppm) and nicotinamide (1.0%) in cooked ground turkey in the presence and absence of sodium tripolyphosphate (0.25, 0.5%) and sodium citrate (0.5, 1.0%). The ability of tricalcium phosphate (0.1-0.5%) to reduce pink cooked color also was evaluated in ground turkey and both calcium chloride and tricalcium phosphate were tested for their effects on pink cooked color in whole breast muscle. The combination of calcium chloride and sodium tripolyphosphate, not calcium chloride alone, was necessary for a reduction in pink cooked color induced by nicotinamide. Subsequently, in the presence of phosphate, both calcium chloride and sodium citrate reduced pink cooked color and were most effective in combination. Tricalcium phosphate also was capable of reducing pink cooked color in ground turkey, however substituting tricalcium phosphate for sodium tripolyphosphate resulted in lower pH and cooking yields. Neither calcium chloride nor tricalcium phosphate was capable of reducing pink cooked color in whole turkey breast. Currently, a combination of sodium tripolyphosphate, calcium chloride, and sodium citrate represents the most suitable means for reducing or preventing the pink color defect in uncured ground turkey.

Relating induced in situ conditions of raw chicken breast meat to pinking

Our objective was to simulate the pink color defect in cooked chicken breast meat with treatment combinations that would induce measurable changes in the conditions of raw meat. In addition, the feasibility of using induced raw meat conditions to develop a logistic regression model for prediction of pinking was studied. Approximately 960 breast fillets from 2 plants with 2 replications were used for inducing in situ conditions with 16 combinations of sodium chloride, sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium erythorbate, and sodium nitrite (present and not present). Muscles in all treatments were subjected to individual injections, followed by tumbling, cooking, and chilling. Raw samples were analyzed for pH, oxidation-reduction potential, and pigment evaluation. Results indicated a significant role of induced in situ conditions of raw meat in the occurrence of pinking. Presence of 1 ppm or more of sodium nitrite in raw meat produced significant pinking of cooked meat. The light muscle color group was least affected and the dark group was most affected by induced pH, oxidation-reduction potential conditions, and metmyoglobin and nitrosopigment content. The predictive ability of the logistic model was more than 90% with nitrosopigment, pH, and reducing conditions being the most important factors. Moreover, validation of the model was confirmed by close association between observed pink samples and those predicted as pink.

Evaluation of induced color changes in chicken breast meat during simulation of pink color defect

The objective of the study was to establish a pink threshold and simulate the pink defect in cooked chicken breast meat with treatment combinations that would induce significant changes in the color of raw and cooked meat. The subjective pink threshold used in judging pink discoloration was established at a* = 3.8. Samples of three color groups (normal, lighter than normal, and darker than normal) of boneless, skinless chicken breast muscles were selected based on instrumental color values. The in situ changes were induced using sodium chloride, sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium erythorbate, and sodium nitrite at two levels: present and not present. Fillets in all treatments were subjected to individual injections, followed by tumbling, cooking, and chilling. Samples were analyzed for color [lightness (L*), red/green axis (a*), yellow/blue axis (b*)] and reflectance spectra. Simulation of the pink defect was achieved in eight of the 16 treatment combinations when sodium nitrite was present and in an additional two treatment combinations when it was absent. Pinking in cooked samples was affected (P < 0.05) by L* of raw meat color. Results confirmed that it was possible to simulate the undesired pinking in cooked chicken white meat when in situ conditions were induced by sodium chloride, sodium tripolyphosphate, and sodium nitrite. The continuation of the simulation study can aid in developing alternative processing methods to eliminate potential pink defects.