Estimating In Vitro Protein Digestion and Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score of Chicken Breasts Affected by White Striping and Wooden Breast Abnormalities

An understanding regarding impacts of growth-related myopathies, i.e., white striping (WS) and wooden breast (WB), on the quality of dietary protein from cooked chicken breast is still limited. This study aimed at comparing protein content and in vitro protein digestion and estimating the in vitro protein digestibility corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) of cooked chicken meat exhibiting different abnormality levels (i.e., normal, WS, and WS + WB). The results show that the WS + WB samples exhibited lower protein content, greater cooking loss, and greater lipid oxidation than those of normal samples (p < 0.05). No differences in protein carbonyls or the myofibril fragmentation index were found (p ≥ 0.05). Cooked samples were hydrolyzed in vitro using digestive enzyme mixtures that subsequently mimicked the enzymatic reactions in oral, gastric, and intestinal routes. The WS + WB samples exhibited greater values of free NH2 and degree of hydrolysis than the others at all digestion phases (p < 0.05), suggesting a greater proteolytic susceptibility. The in vitro PDCAAS of the WS + WB samples was greater than that of the other samples for pre-school children, school children, and adults (p < 0.05). Overall, the findings suggest that the cooked chicken breast with the WS + WB condition might provide greater protein digestibility and availability than WS and normal chicken breasts.