Apparent Specific Heat of Chicken Breast Patties and their Constituent Proteins by Differential Scanning Calorimetry

Chicken breast meat yielded three endothermic transitions, with peak transition temperatures of 53,70, and 79°C. Comparison with the purified protein fractions indicated that these transitions corresponded to denaturation of myofibrillar (53°C) and sarcoplasmic (70 and 79°C) proteins. The apparent specific heat profile of chicken breast meat was successfully modeled as a weighted average of the apparent specific heat of the constituent proteins. The specific heats of sarcoplasmic protein, myofibrillar protein, and chicken breast meat were strongly influenced by temperature; however, the specific heat of stromal protein was nearly constant across the temperature range considered (i.e., 10 to 100°C).