Influence of the Freezing Rate on the Rheological and Gelation Properties of Dark Poultry Meat

The gelation and rheological properties of poultry meat frozen at three rates (instant by liquid nitrogen, fast, and slow) and a nonfrozen control were studied. The relationships between the shear rate and shear stress for the different raw-meat batters were found to be nonlinear and followed the Bingham pseudoplastic behavior. The water-holding capacity (after salt addition) was significantly higher for the frozen treatments compared with the nonfrozen control. A continuous evaluation of the modulus of rigidity (G) during cooking (.5 C per min) revealed different gelation patterns only above 64 C. The fresh meat resulted in the lowest G-value at 72 C, followed by the instant, fast, and slow frozen treatments. These differences could be related to the degree of damage to the muscle that resulted from the slower freezing.