LAUSR

ABSTRACT 1. In order to meet market demand for poultry, producers strive to ensure processing plants are more efficient. One of the ways of achieving better productivity is to remove meat from the carcase straight after slaughter. To diminish the negative consequences of this procedure, various processing techniques can be used, with brining being one of the most popular of these techniques. 2. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physicochemical and sensory properties of chicken breast meat subjected to the procedure of early deboning and brine injection prior to chilling, as well as to verify the influence of brine on characteristics of the meat. 3. To evaluate meat characteristics and verify the influence of brine injection on its quality, pH and water-holding capacity (WHC) were determined. Desirability of odour, taste, juiciness and tenderness to the consumer was evaluated. The intensity of odour and taste was assessed by a team of selected assessors in order to verify their influence on the consumer desirability of these features. 4. The results showed that pH was lower, whereas WHC was more favourable in the case of brined meat. Moreover, sensory evaluations indicated that the desirability of taste and juiciness was significantly higher in the brined samples. 5. Early deboning and brine injection prior to chilling of chicken breast meat had a positive influence on the sensory variables of the ready-to-eat product, thus contributing to its higher consumer acceptability.