A Comparison of the Carcass and Meat Quality of ISA (F15) Spent Hens Slaughtered at Two Different Ages

Abstract

Objective: A total of 16 spent hens (ISA F15) were slaughtered at about 220 and 337 days of age and studied for their muscle characteristics and sensory attributes. Methodology: Tenderness was estimated from breast muscle using penetrometer PNR 10 and sensory trained panel. Water Holding Capacity (WHC), percentage of released water, cooking loss, pH and Myofibril Fragmentation Index (MFI) were studied. Results: Penetration values were found negatively correlated with tenderness and MFI. Tenderness scores were negatively correlated with animal age and positively with pH. Overall acceptability of the meat of spent hens was judged higher irrespective of age. Multiple regressions analysis revealed that penetration depth was mainly explained by juiciness and MFI. Conclusion: In addition, the results revealed that sensory parameters representing textural properties of meat (tenderness, cohesiveness, chewiness and residues) were mainly explained by cooking losses.