Caracterização do processo de rigor mortis nos músculos Gastrocnemius e Pectoralis de perus (Meleagris gallopavo) e maciez da carne Characterization of rigor mortis process of muscles Gastrocnemius and Pectoralis of turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) and meat tenderness

This work was designed to characterize the rigor mortis process of Gastrocnemius and Pectoralis muscles of 06 turkey carcasses during the industrial chilling and meat tenderness. Six male turkeys B U T A (British United Turkeys of America) were randomly assembled, slaughtered at Federal Inspection Slaughterhouse – Carambei, PR. After exsanguination, were measured temperature, pH, sarcomere length and shear force or tenderness at different s times (0.25h; 1.5h; 2.5h; 6.0h and 18.5h). To compare the values were utilized the ANOVA; the test of Tukey with 5% and tendency of Pearson linear correlation. The chilling room temperature varied between 32.3 o C (0.25h) to –0.5 o C (18.5h), and the mean temperature of carcasses were 40.83 o C and 2.40 o C, respectively . The mean pH of Gastrocnemius muscle was initial 6.39 (0.25h) and final 5.91 (18.5h), in the Pectoralis muscle was initial 6.15 (0.25h) and final 5.59 (18.5h). The maximum contraction of sarcomere of Gastrocnemius and Pectoralis occurred at 0.25 h - 15 min. (1.59 m and 1.61 m) after exsanguination. The two muscles studied can be considered tender, once resulted the shear force close to 6.0 kg, showing a normal resolution of rigor mortis process.