What those mysterious white stripes on chicken are — and what it means for cooking

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December 8, 2017 8:48 PM

Those mysterious white stripes are affecting your chicken meat's quality.

Ever wonder what those mysterious white stripes on your chicken were? They're turning up now more than ever before. While they don't harm human health, scientific studies indicate they can affect the quality of your meat.

The real mystery is that no one knows what's causing it. The National Chicken Council has funded over $250,000 in research to find the cause of white stripes and another recent abnormality called woody breast. Following is a transcript of the video.

What are those mysterious white stripes on chicken? Some chicken looks and tastes different than it used to. The proof? White stripes of fat and hardened muscle in the breast meat. The consequence? Reduced quality of raw, cooked, and marinated meat.

The culprit? Unclear. But some experts think our insatiable appetite for chicken may be a factor. In 2016, each American consumed, on average, 91 pounds of chicken. That's over 3 times more than in 1960. To meet growing demand, the food industry now raises bigger chickens, faster. In 1960, it took 63 days to grow a 3.35-pound bird. Now, it takes about 47 days to grow a 6.1-pound bird.

White stripes and hardened muscles aren't harmful to human health. Researchers estimate they only turn up in 5-10% of breast meat. But, researchers also found that these two abnormalities affect meat quality. In severe cases, they reduce the amount of marinade the meat absorbs. Also, hardened muscle in cooked meat is tougher to chew. The issue has not gone unnoticed by the food industry. The National Chicken Council has funded over $250,000 in research to find the cause. Whatever the reason, a bigger question is on the horizon, what could chicken look like in the near future?

This video was first published on August 24, 2017.

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