The Effect of Freezing, Method of Cooking, and Storage Time on the Tenderness of Pre-cooked and Raw Turkey Meat

ONE of the main criteria of consumer acceptance of poultry meat is the tenderness of the product. Numerous factors have been investigated to determine their effect on tenderness. With the introduction of various frozen pre-cooked poultry products on the market, new questions have risen as to the factors contributing to the lack of tenderness in these products. The interval between slaughter and freezing has a marked influence on the tenderness of both chicken and turkey meat (Dawson et al., 1958; Klose et al., 1961). Carlin (1949) observed that freezing increased tenderness considerably in chickens that had been aged less than six hours. Birds that were aged 24 hours were not significantly affected by freezing. Dodge and Stadelman (1959) reported that age of bird, time of aging, class of poultry, temperature of the aging media, and the type of media in which the carcasses were aged all appeared to be important …