Abstract:

Chicken breasts from eighteen white broilers were divided into lower drip loss group (drip loss ＜ 2%) and
higher drip loss group (drip loss ≥ 2%) through cluster analysis. The protein and structure of muscle fibers were compared,
and correlation analysis was conducted. The results showed that the higher drip loss group had lower pH, higher L* value,
shorter sarcomere and larger ratio of extra cellular space and poorer total protein solubility when compared with the lower
drip loss group. The denaturing temperature (T1) of the head of myosin protein and that (T2) of the tail of myosin protein and
sarcoplasmic protein in the lower drip loss group were lower that in the higher drip loss group as examined by differential
scanning calorimetry (DSC). These results indicated that more pronounced denaturation of myosin protein in meat from high
drip loss group happened than that from that low drip loss group. The reasons for unacceptable water-holding capacity were
attributed to the lower pH and the denaturation of protein as well as the change of muscle fibers.

Key words: water-holding capacity, protein solubility, DSC, muscle fiber structure