Electrical Water Bath Stunning of Broilers

The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of electrical water bath stunning treatments (pulsed direct current) on stress conditions of poultry meat. This was carried out by evaluating meat quality measured through the incidence of PSE (pale, soft, exudative) in broiler breast fillet meat. We applied the randomized factorial design 22 with three replications at the central point, with independent variables, including voltage (40, 80, 120 V) and electrical frequency (100, 400, 700 Hz). The response functions under study were pH, L*, a*, b*, WHC and incidence of PSE meat. Samples presenting with pH of ≤5.80 and L* of ≥53.0 were classified as PSE whereas those with 5.80