Effects of the primary process on further processing.

For several decades there has been an increasing consumer demand for meat products that can be easily and quickly prepared. As a result most poultry meat is sold being cut up, boneless or further processed (i.e. cooked, marinated, formed etc.). A distinction can be made between products that can be recognized as poultry parts, such as fillets, drumsticks and wings, and products that are not directly recognisable as such, for instance formed products. In this latter type of products, poultry is merely used as the raw material source. The characteristics of the end product depend on the raw material properties interacting with the applied processing conditions. This means that a certain end product requires defined raw material and dedicated processing to achieve optimal results. The raw material properties are influenced by the primary process. However, it is important to realise that in order to achieve the desired end product aspects, such as yields, labour, logistics etc. play a role as well. This paper will discuss some examples of the relationship between primary processing and specified raw material characteristics needed for further processing. For the marinating and coating of products still covered with skin (wings, drumsticks etc.) skin properties affected by scalding and chilling are important. Scalding temperatures are very critical with respect to the presence of the epidermis, which is essential for optimal further processing. The moment of de-boning in relation to the amount of energy left in the muscle tissue can be very critical if the meat is to be further processed in line. If there is still some energy left in the muscle, heating will render the meat slightly to unacceptably tough, depending on the amount of energy present. Freezing pre-rigor meat can induce cold shortening. In addition glycolysis will stop. After thawing, glycolysis will start up again, generating energy. Therefore, there is a risk of tough meat if thawed products are heated instantaneously. The boning moment is less critical for the production of fresh meat. The course of the energy depletion varies a lot among birds and flocks, and depends on processing factors such as the way of stunning and the application of electrical stimulation. The large variation in such functional properties among individual bird and flocks make it necessary to • define the meat source used for further processing studies by examining the course of the processes responsible for these properties • use sufficient replicates, not just for the experimental units (individual chickens) but also for the tests (flocks).