Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange
Abstract
Each year the poultry industry is faced with a large number of spent laying hens (spent fowl), which are often difficult to market at a reasonable price. If less desirable poultry carcasses such as spent hens could be utilized economically to create desirable new products, there would be considerable incentive to do so. Because of the maturity level of spent hens, their muscles are quite tough and, therefore, products made from them would have to be comminuted. A new method of comminution, called flaking, cleanly cuts frozen muscle into wafer—thin slices which aids in the binding properties upon further processing. The manufacture of restructured steaks involves, first, the flaking of meat and, secondly, the pressing of meat into a particular shape. The resulting product should be tender yet simulate the actual eating quality of a real steak. The objective of this study was to determine the optimum levels of white and dark meat required in the formulation of restructured steaks and to examine the feasibility of adding skin and fat to these products
