Effects of pH on Physical Properties of White and Dark Turkey Meat

The effects of pH (4.5, 5.5, 5.8, 6.5, and 7.5) on the rheological, gelation, and water retention properties of breast and thigh turkey meat were investigated. In the raw state, breast meat at pH 4.5 exhibited the greatest pseudoplasticity, at pH 5.8 it was similar to the thigh meat, and at pH 7.5 it was higher than thigh meat. The maximum modulus of rigidity (G) of the thigh meat at its original pH (6.5) was significantly higher than for breast meat at its original pH (5.8). Increasing the breast meat pH to 6.5 resulted in G values similar to those of thigh meat. The same trend was observed for water retention ability in the raw and cooked state. Overall, water retention significantly increased with an increase in pH up to pH 6.5 for both the breast and thigh meat.