Understanding the mechanisms behind woody breast in broilers could help reduce the negative economic impact of the breast meat myopathy.
“Woody breast is a welfare and food safety issue,” said Sami Dridi, poultry science professor at the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
“If you want to have a treatment, you have to understand the cause. Otherwise, you go fishing and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t,” Dridi noted.
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.
Texture issues can include fibrousness, crunchiness and other unappealing attributes to consumers. Woody breast meat is typically discarded at the processing stage because of its undesirable attributes, resulting in large financial losses.
Why woody breast is more common in heavier broilers
Woody breast has become more common with the selection of fast-growing, heavier broilers, although the underlying cause of the condition was a mystery until now.
“We found that woody breast is mainly induced by hypoxia, which is not surprising because the breast is white meat,” explained Dridi.
In heavier broilers, there is not enough blood supply to the breast, resulting in less oxygen in these tissues.
One potential solution for preventing woody breast is phytase, a feed enzyme that has been shown to reduce the severity of woody breast in research.
“If everything goes well and I can reduce the severity of woody breast, I think I will help the industry save millions of dollars,” said Dridi.
“I am really thankful to my colleagues and students. They are here on a daily basis and on board with perseverance,” he added. “I am so thankful that I have a good group.”
