Effect of Weight, Temperature and Skinning of Broiler Drumsticks on Batter and Breading Adhesion¹

The relationship of the original weight of a broiler drumstick to % coating pickup, % cooking loss, % crumb loss, and % overall yield was studied. No significant correlation was found between size and % coating pickup, but there were significant correlations between the other variables. Correlation between original weight of a broiler drumstick and cooking loss was highly significant (P = .0001), and the regression equation y = 32.58 – 0.1081x was calculated. Similiarly, the relation between % crumb loss and original weight of a drumstick was highly significant (P = .0001) and the regression equation y =−0.2196 + 0.0207x was calculated. The % overall yield also was dependent upon original weight (P = .0003). The regression equation y = 72.97 – .1010x describes that relationship. The effect of temperature of broiler drumsticks prior to batter and breading, on % coating pickup, % cooking loss, % crumb loss, and % overall yield was studied. The % coating pickup of drumsticks coated at room temperature (23C) was not significantly different (P<0.05) from those coated at refrigerator temperatures (4C), with means of 5.34%, and 5.05%, respectively. Those drumsticks coated at 110C had a lower % coating pickup, possibly due to a drier skin surface and those coated at −15.5C had the least coating pickup. Poultry parts frozen before being coated had the highest cooking loss and those coated at 23C and 4C had significantly lower % cooking losses of 24.52% and 24.55%, respectively. The % crumb loss of broiler parts coated at 4C, 23C, and −15.5C of 1.72%, 1.52%, and 1.50% was significantly higher than drumsticks coated at 110C with 1.13% crumb loss, but the drumsticks coated frozen had very little coating pickup in the first place. The % overall yield of drumsticks coated at 23C (79.30%), and 4C (78.78%) was significantly higher than those coated at 110C (76.40%), and those had a significantly higher yield than drumsticks coated at −15.5C. The same variables used to study size and temperature effects were used to study differences in broiler drumsticks with and without skin, at 4C. Broiler drumsticks coated without skin had significantly increased coating pickup and decreased crumb loss over drumsticks with the skin intact. Cooking losses were significantly lower for drumsticks coated with the skin on, but the % overall yields of 7Z97% for those without skin, and 78.78% for those with skin were not significantly different.