The Effect of Salt Concentration and Brining Time on Organoleptic Characteristics of Smoked Broiler Breeder Hens

In each of two trials, 84 Cobb color-sexed broiler breeder hens were slaughtered at 52 weeks of age using standard techniques except for subscald and overnight chilling (1°C). After four weeks frozen storage, 12 birds were randomly assigned to each of seven treatments, a control, and a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement of two brining times (16 and 32 hrs.) and three brine concentrations (2.5, 5.0 and 7.5% NaCl). The treated birds were slow-cooked with smoke. Both light and dark meat samples were evaluated for flavor, juiciness and tenderness by a taste panel. In addition, these samples were subjected to shear force analysis. As the salt concentration was increased, the panelists scored dark meat significantly higher for flavor, regardless of brining time. Light meat which had been brined for 16 hrs. was also scored singificantly more juicy as the salt concentration was increased. There were no significant differences observed for tenderness, juiciness or flavor for any other combinations of taste panel scores. It appeared, however, that increasing the salt concentration did improve scores numerically. The shear force analysis indicated that meat from birds brined at a 7.5% salt concentration for 16 or 32 hrs. or 5.0% salt concentration for 32 hrs. was significantly more tender than the meat from unbrined birds. Generally, all treatments appeared to increase tenderness of die meat.