Improvement strategies for quality defects and oxidation of pale, soft and exudative (PSE)-like chicken meat: effects of domestic cooking and core temperature

This study compared the quality, oxidation, and microstructure of high-market-share PSE-like chicken meat (PSE) after domestic cooking with those of normal chicken meat (NOR). Cooking techniques included steaming (ST), boiling (BO), roasting (RO), and microwaving (MV) at 60, 70, and 80 °C. The results indicated that PSE-induced chicken breasts were of poor quality, with significantly higher cooking loss rates (NOR: 22.1% vs. PSE: 26.2%) and shear force (NOR: 50.4 N vs. PSE: 69.2 N) than normal chicken meat. In addition, PSE-like chicken meat showed higher oxidative sensitivity and more severe muscle fiber structure damage. Among the four cooking techniques, RO increased meat toughness (NOR: 78.5 N vs. PSE: 98.3 N) and intensified excessive protein oxidation and aggregation in PSE chicken breast most significantly, manifested by the increased malondialdehyde (NOR: 0.46 vs. PSE: 0.57, mg kg(−1) meat) and carbonyl (NOR: 11.2 vs. PSE: 13.4, nmol mg(−1) protein), reduced tryptophan and thiols (NOR: 41.3 vs. PSE: 33.7, nmol mg(−1) protein), and prominent protein cross-linking such as Schiff bases and disulfide bonds during heat treatment (p < 0.05). BO was the second most destructive technique, while MV caused the least impact (p > 0.05). Principal component analysis indicated a correlation between oxidative damage and meat quality, which was attributed to variations of the PSE and normal samples by BO, RO, and ST treatments. Thus, MV is suggested to be a promising and effective cooking method in reducing the differences in quality and oxidation attributes between PSE and normal chicken meat.