Fitbit technology could predict woody breast in broilers

Accelerometers, the technology used to detect steps on smartwatches and Fitbits, can identify some of the vibrational differences in live broilers and deboned fillets with woody breast.

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(Andrea Gantz)

Accelerometers, the technology use62b87ad to detect steps on smartwatches and Fitbits, can identify some of the vibrational differences in live broilers and deboned fillets with woody breast, revealed a recently completed research project at the University of Arkansas.

“We wanted to see if we could detect different vibration patterns in a chicken breast with woody breast versus normal,” said Casey Owens, faculty, Novus International professor of poultry science, University of Arkansas.

Woody breast is a breast meat myopathy that affects the rigidity, texture and mouth feel of broiler meat. The breast meat may also be a pale color and soft in consistency. Woody breast has become more common with the selection of fast-growing, heavier broilers, although the underlying cause of the condition is still a mystery.

“We’ve been studying woody breast for a number of years now. It’s definitely a quality issue that can create some textural issues at times and lost yield in terms of water holding capacity,” Owens said. “There’s a lot of pushback from restaurants to make sure they have a good quality product coming to them.”

Measuring differences in vibration with woody breast

The researchers used the accelerometers to measure changes in the vibrational patterns of deboned chicken breasts with and without woody breast. They also tested the use of accelerometers placed on top of shackled live birds, however they found that any movement by the bird, such as a wing flap, distorted the results.

“The project had some good results at times, but it was also a little bit inconsistent at times,” Owens explained. “If you look at the different degrees of severity, from normal to severe, these are the tail ends of a bell-shaped curve. Your big part of the bell is the mild or moderate that is in between.”

While it’s easy to detect the differences between normal and severe, that mid-category can exhibit the properties of both normal and severe woody breast, making it difficult to classify. This could help explain some of the inconsistent results that the researchers saw with the fillet work, she added. 

The project was funded by a research grant from the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association.

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