Biochemical and Physicochemical Changes in Spent Hen Breast Meat Biochemical and Physicochemical Changes in Spent Hen Breast Meat

An experiment was conducted to study the biochemical and physicochemical changes with respect to improvement in tenderness of spent hen breast meat. Breast muscle obtained from freshly slaughtered spent hens (72 wk old) was divided into 5 equal lots and dipped in 1 mM NaN3 before being packed in low-density polyethylene pouches under aerobic conditions and stored at refrigeration temperature (4°C). Lots were removed on 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28 d of storage and analyzed for pH, TBA reactive substances (TBARS), total sulfhydryl content, protein-bound sulfhydryl content, nonprotein-bound sulfhydryl content, perimysial fraction, collagen content, free OH-proline, N, nonprotein N, and proteolysis rate. Shear force value and penetrometer readings were also determined after making patties from the stored muscle samples. Results showed that pH values were gradually de