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Five hundred broiler males were grown to 56 d and processed under common terms. Front halves were deboned 24 h postmortem to obtain breast fillets, and CIELAB light reflectance was measured on the skin side of each fillet 24 h later. All fillets were bagged and frozen (-20° C) for 5 ma Then the fillets exhibiting the lowest (dark), median (normal), and highest (pale) L* values 48 h postmortem were thawed (3 d at 4°C) and cooked (internal temperature 80°C). Thawing reduced the L* value in the pale fillets and increased it in the dark ones, and cooking further increased L* value and reduced the differences in L*, a*, and b* between groups. Thawing and cooking losses were not affected by initial L* value until they were combined. Total losses increased with initial L*, which was in parallel with a lower increase in thickness after cooking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eight hundred broiler males were grown to 56 d and processed under common terms while maintaining individual identity. Front halves were deboned 24 h postmortem (PM) to obtain breast fillets, and CIELAB light reflectance was immediately measured on the skin side of each fillet. Fillets were bagged and held at 4°C for 24 h, and then 20 fillets exhibiting the darkest (47.3 to 57.5), lightest (71.1 to 76.4), and median (63.7 to 64.0) L* values were selected and trimmed to best define the pectoralis major. Remeasurement of light reflectance at 48 h PM revealed decreased L* values solely associated with fillets having the highest L* at 24 h. One-half of the fillets representing each category was frozen (4 d at -20°C) and thawed (3 d at 4°C). The L* value, after thawing, decreased from the 48 h PM value, which equivalently occurred in for all L* categories. Although 48 h PM fillets from each L* category were of similar weights, their lengths and widths increased with L* value. Exudate lost with thawing increased with L* value and paralleled decreases in length and width to equalize dimensions among sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]