Abstract:

The effects of different measurement conditions and pretreatment methods on the measurement of chilled chicken
color using colorimeter were studied. The experimental parameters investigated included measurement position (dorsal and
ventral), illumination intensity (60, 200 and 600 lx), background color (red, white and black), blooming time (15, 30, 45
and 60 min) and blooming temperature (0–4, 10 and 25 ℃). The results showed that measurement position had a significant
effect on meat color (P < 0.05). Light intensity did not affect the results. Background had a significant effect on only the thin
position (P < 0.05), while it had no significant effect on the thick position. At both 10 ℃ and 25 ℃, blooming time had no
effect on breast color, while the L* value significantly decreased with increasing blooming time at 0–4 ℃ (P < 0.05). This
phenomenon had some relation to the conditions of refrigeration. The smallest coefficient of variation (CV) was obtained for
color data from 30 min blooming at all temperatures. In conclusion, chicken breast close to the ribs and the one-third middle
part of the whole breast were suitable for color measurement. Blooming was performed for 30 min at stable normal indoor
temperature (25 ℃) and the best background color and illumination intensity were white and 600 lx, respectively.

Key words: chicken breast, meat color, colorimeter, assessment