Pink Color Development in Turkey Meat as Affected by Nicotinamide, Cooking Temperature, Chilling Rate, and Storage Time

Consumers associate pink color in cooked turkey with undercooking. “Pinking” has been attributed to several factors, but remains a problem in the poultry industry. Effects of temperature, chilling rate, and storage time were investigated relative to pink color intensity of turkey meat cooked in the presence of 2% nicotinamide. As final cook temperature increased, sensory pinkness increased as did CIE a* values. Slower chilling rate resulted in higher CIE a* values and lower CIE b* values. Increased storage time generally increased CIE a* values and decreased b* values while CIE L* values were not affected.