The use of marination to improve poultry meat quality

A study was conducted to determine the effect of marination on turkey breast meat quality traits. Breast meat samples were marinated with two types of solution (containing sodium tripolyphosphate, STPP or a commercial mix with sodium carbonate and citrate, COM) and three solution/meat ratios (14, 18, and 22%). Marination with STPP determined a higher increase of meat pH in comparison with COM (pH measured before and after marination = +0.20 vs. +0.14; P≤0.05). The marinade uptake and AK-shear values did not differ between solutions, whereas STPP determined a higher marinade retention (98.2 vs. 97.9%; P≤0.05) and a strong decrease of cooking loss (21.8 vs. 28.1%; P≤0.01) compared with COM. The increase of solution/meat ratio from 14 to 22% significantly raised meat pH, marinade uptake, and cooking loss of the meat. Taking into account both marinade uptake and cooking losses, the use of a 14% solution/meat ratio allowed to maximise processing yield. Overall, compared to non-marinated meat, marinated meat exhibited a higher lightness and yellowness, and a lower AK-shear value after cooking, confirming that this technique can be successfully employed to improve meat texture.