The objective of this study was to compare the relationships between instrumental texture measurements and subjective woody breast (WB) scores in raw broiler breast fillets. A total of 181 broiler breast fillets were scored based on palpable hardness and rigidity ranging from 1.0 to 3.0 in 0.5 increments. Texture properties of raw fillets were measured with 3 different instrumental methods: compression force, blunt Meullenet-Owens Razor Shear (BMORS), and Meullenet-Owens Razor Shear (MORS). Compression force was measured based on % of fillet height (30%) and distance (10 mm). Blunt Meullenet-Owens Razor Shear and MORS measurements included peak force, energy, and peak counts. One-way ANOVA of instrumental texture measurements were performed. Spearman correlations between WB scores and instrumental texture measurements and Pearson correlations between 3 instrumental measurements were analyzed. ANOVA results showed that the best means separations between WB scores were found with the compression method. The weakest means separations were observed with MORS force and BMORS peak counts. Spearman correlation coefficients showed that there were significant relationships between WB scores and instrumental measurements. The strongest correlations were found between subjective WB scores and compression force measurements (r = 0.58-0.73, P < 0.0001), followed by BMORS force and energy (r = 0.55-0.56, P < 0 0.0001), MORS energy and peak count (r = 0.47-0.50, P < 0 0.0001), and BMORS peak count (r = -0.18, P = 0.015). The weakest correlation was found between the WB scores and MORS force (r = 0.17, P = 0.023). Pearson correlation coefficients between 3 different instrumental texture methods were also significant (P < 0.0001). These results demonstrate that there are significant correlations between subjective WB scores and instrumental texture measurements but that correlation strength varies with the instrumental method. Instrumental texture measurements can be used as references for subjective WB scores. Compression force method has the best potential for assessing subjective WB condition scores.

This study evaluated the potential of using combined relaxation (CRelax) spectra within time-domain nuclear magnetic resonance (TD-NMR) measurements to predict meat quality. Broiler fillets affected by different severities of the wooden breast (WB) conditions were used as case-study samples because of the broader ranges of meat-quality variations. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) models were established to predict water-holding capacity (WHC) and meat texture, demonstrating superior CRelax capabilities for predicting meat quality. Additionally, a partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) model was developed to predict WB severity based on CRelax spectra. The models exhibited high accuracy in distinguishing normal fillets from those affected by the WB condition and demonstrated competitive performance in classifying WB severity. This research contributes innovative insights into advanced spectroscopic techniques for comprehensive meat-quality evaluation, with implications for enhancing precision in meat applications.

Relationships between texture measurements and meat water properties were investigated in raw intact broiler breast fillets with the wooden breast ( WB ) condition. Texture measurements included subjective WB scores and blunt Meullenet-Owens Razor Shear ( BMORS ). Water properties were determined with low-field nuclear magnetic resonance ( LF- NMR ). Spearman correlation was used to estimate relationships between WB scores and water properties, while Pearson correlation was used for relationships between BMORS force and water properties. LF-NMR measurements exhibited 3 water components: proteinassociated or hydration water T- 2b , intra-myofibrillar water or immobilized water T-21, and extra-myofibrillar water or free water T-22 in chicken breast meat. Significant and strong Spearman correlations were found between the WB scores and T-21 time constant, the abundance (normalized areas) of T-22, and the proportion of T-21 and T-22 (r(s) > 0.60, P < 0.001). Strong Pearson correlations (r = 0.72) were noted only between the T-21 time constant and BMORS force. These results demonstrate that water may contribute to the specific texture characteristics measured with subjective WB scoring (palpable hardness and rigidity) and BMORS (hardness and share force) in raw broiler breast fillets with the WB condition.