ABSTRACT
Introduction There are many different definitions of quality. Dictionaries, quality experts, and organizations dedicated to promoting quality all provide excellent but slightly different definitions for this word and concept. Another general definition, as may be applied to poultry processing and the resulting product, could be: someone’s expectations and perceptions of how acceptable, even desirable, something is at a given price. The quality of a product is usually measured by the number and types of defects, or lack thereof, set against a background scale of price or perceived value. For example, broiler meat emulsions formed into breaded nuggets for a low cost market may appear to be a good value with adequate quality at one dollar per pound, but the perceived value and quality will not be acceptable to most consumers at three dollars per pound, where formed nuggets compete against whole-muscle nuggets and fillets.
