Pinking in Poultry Symposium

110 In fully cooked poultry items, the presence of a pink or undercooked appearance is a major concern. This problem, while not a food safety issue, does present a quality issue as well as an economic concern to the processor. It is agreed that this problem occurs in a wide variety of poultry products ranging from restructured turkey rolls, to chopped and formed nuggets, to whole muscle breast fillets. Several types of pinking have been identified. Some pinking is found only on the product surface, while other pinking may be uniformly dispersed throughout the product or only in an emulsified portion of a restructured product. As the occurrence is sporadic and the pattern is varied, the pink color may have several causes. We recognize that pinking may be the result of certain ingredients that contain endogenous or processing induced nitrite, such as green peppers or direct dried soy protein. Water used for processing may also be a source of nitrate/nitrite. Birds may come in contact with the water anywhere from the chiller to the marinator. Seasonality has also been linked to pinking, with higher occurrences noted in spring and fall. Also, identified as probable causes of pinking include cold stress, inhalation of exhaust fumes prior to slaughter, improper stunning.