Observations on Factors Influencing Feather Release

PRESENT commercial methods of feather removal have limitations with respect to tenderness, appearance and wholesomeness of the final product. High temperature tank scalding, now necessary to produce feather free birds with minimum labor, tends to toughen the meat, introduce contaminants, and alter the appearance and stability of the skin surface. Machine picking may in some cases toughen the meat. There is thus a need for the development of a fundamental understanding of the factors influencing feather retention and release, to serve as a rational basis for new and improved methods of feather removal. The basic questions relating to the holding and release of feathers concern the nature of the forces holding the feather in the follicle, and the extent to which the nervous system and the follicle muscles are involved. What are the mechanisms involved in the loosening of feathers by scalding? Can feather relaxation in the live fowl…