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Studies were initiated to determine the effect of tumbling turkey meat in brine on the retention of thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), and niacin (N). A second study investigated the effect of tumbling time (1, 2, 4, 8, and 24 h) on the composition of extracted exudate. In Experiment 1, four thawed and halved turkey breasts were tumbled without vacuum at 15 rpm and 4.4 C for 2 hr in an 11.5% salt solution at a brine to meat ratio of .15:1 (w/w). Nontumbled halves served as controls. Three-inch (7.6-cm) cross-sectional samples were removed from the anterior lobe of each halved breast, individually ground, and analyzed in duplicate for vitamins using automated analytical methods. Losses were calculated as the difference between tumbled and nontumbled paired breast halves. Niacin concentrations in tissue were significantly affected by tumbling whereas no significant losses were found for B1 and B2. On a dry weight basis, tumbling caused vitamin tissue losses that averaged 2.0, 5.0, and 12% for B1, B2, and N, respectively. In extracted exudates, average dry weight vitamin levels were 3.8, 1.3, and 301 μg/g for B1, B2, and N, respectively. The results of Experiment 2 demonstrate that maximum rate losses of vitamins and proteins from tissues occur during the first hour of tumbling.

Three different curing procedures using two levels of NaNO2 were evaluated for color, residual NO2, percent NaCl, percent moisture, and organoleptic quality of smoked turkey. Curing procedures included 1) soaking in a 15% NaCl brine for 48 hr prior to cooking, 2) injecting an amount of 15% salt brine equal to 10% of the carcass weight followed by soaking in 15% brine for 24 hr, and 3) injecting brines to obtain a finished product with 2% salt and cooking immediately. Turkeys were smoked while cooking to an internal temperature of 71 C. Smoked breast meat from turkeys cured with reduced amounts of NO2 had significantly lower residual NO2. Injection of brine plus 24 hr of soaking yielded breast meat with the highest concentration of residual NO2 and salt. Hunter color “a” values demonstrated no cured color difference in breast tissues due to concentration of NO2 in curing brine, whereas significant color differences resulted from cure methods. Injection with immediate cooking resulted in less uniform color development. Product with higher levels of residual NO2 and salt received higher, but not significantly different, taste panel scores for cured meat flavor intensity, salt intensity, and juiciness. These results show that cured meat flavor and color can be produced in turkey breast tissue with 25% of the maximum permitted levels of NaNO2. The results also suggest that curing time can be reduced if more uniform color can be obtained with direct injection of brine followed by immediate cooking and smoking.

The effects of three cooking methods on the chemical, physical, and sensory properties of hard-cooked eggs were investigated. Freshly laid eggs were stored at 23 C for 48 hr and then hard cooked by one of three methods: steaming (S) for 20min; severe boiling (B) procedure (water brought to a full boil and maintained for 20 min); and a standard hard cook (SHC) procedure (water brought to a slow boil followed by 20 min simmer). The eggs were peeled, separated into yolk and white, and evaluated for pH, moisture, color, texture by an Instron Texturometer and texture profile panel, and flavor by a trained profile panel, experienced panel, and headspace gas chromatography. Eggs subjected to the B procedure had the highest endpoint temperature (98.7 C) followed by SHC (95.6 C) and S eggs (89.4 C). The cooking rate for S eggs was approximately three times faster than SHC or B eggs. Both egg white moisture and pH values were significantly influenced by cooking method. Severely boiled egg whites had significantly lower pH moisture values than SHC or S eggs. Small but perceivable texture differences due to cooking were found by the texture profile panel in addition to significant egg white and yolk texture differences as measured using the Instron. Severely boiled egg whites had the firmest texture followed by SHC and S egg whites. All treatments had a typical egg aroma and flavor, yet several detectable sensory differences were found between the treatments. There were little qualitative differences in headspace volatiles between treatments, although significant quantitative differences were noted between treatments for eggs yolks and whites.

Seven commercially available brands of two ducklings each were dissected for edible and inedible yields. Carcass weights, part weights, and percent yields varied even though ducklings were of similar age. These differences are attributed in part to variations in diets, growth rates, and muscle conformation of duckling strains. A highly significant positive correlation was found between die length of the keel bone and breast weight.