In each of two trials per experiment, fillets were harvested from 40 broiler carcasses 10 min postmortem (Experiment 1) or after a 4-h carcass aging period (Experiment 2). Fillets and carcasses were chilled either in tap water or a 5% solution of sodium chloride and baked or deep fat fried.

Breast fillets were harvested from broiler carcasses at 5, 10, and 15 min post-mortem and chilled in either brine (5% sodium chloride) or tap water. Two chilling regimens were used: 30 min in ice slush (1 C) or 10 min in 20-C chilling solution followed by 20 min in ice slush (1 C). Cooked fillets were evaluated for shear force, percentage moisture, and cooking loss.

Broiler breast fillets were harvested at selected times post-mortem during simulated commercial broiler processing, chilling, and aging prior to objective evaluation of cooked meat tenderness and moisture content. Fillets harvested within the first .25 h post-mortem were significantly less tender and had a lower moisture content than all other fillets, even though these fillets had a significantly greater water uptake during chilling. Fillets harvested from chillled carcasses at 1.08 to 2.33 h were significantly more tender than hot-boned fillets but significantly less tender than fillets harvested at 3.33 h or later times up to 24.33 h. Fillets harvested 24.33 h post-mortem were significantly more tender than fillets harvested at any other time. Moisture contents of fillets harvested after the chilling process were not significantly different.