Turkey solution question

[Rover24]

I am shopping for a turkey and am planning on brining. Are turkeys labeled "Solution added" the same as those that are labeled with a percentage of "retained water"? The retained water label infers that it wasn't Pre-brined, but I'm still unsure.

Can anyone shed some light on this subject for me? Thanks in advance

 

[J_Don]

Maybe that relates to female turkeys! :laugh: Don't really know, I've never seen that before or if I did, I didn't pay any attention to it. Since joining this forum and trying to produce better Q and other dishes I definitely pay more attention to the labels now. :thumb:

 

[jestridge]

never saw that before

 

[Rover24]

Hopefully my pic posted, this is the first time I've tried it using tapatalk.
This is the labels I'm seeing on the turkey I'm looking at getting.

 

[bizznessman]

Retained Water is the amount of water, that may found in the product, that was used in the processing or food safety steps used by the processor.

This is from a chicken producers site:
Retained Water
A “retained water” statement, such as “May contain up to 6% retained water” or “Less than 4% retained water,” is found on most packages of fresh poultry. This statement indicates the amount of water retained in the product as a result of essential food safety procedures, such as chilling processed chickens in ice-cold water to reduce their temperature and retard the growth of spoilage bacteria and other microorganisms. Single-ingredient chicken is not allowed to retain any water beyond the minimum required by these essential food safety procedures.
http://laperapoultry.com/About_Chickens.html

This is from the FSIS (Food Safety & Inspection Service, D.C)
The Retained Water In Raw Meat And Poultry Products (January 9, 2001) final rule requires that establishments produce those products with either no retained water or only the amount of water that is an unavoidable consequence of the process to meet food safety standards, such as the Salmonella performance standards. The amount of water retained must be specified on the product label. As noted in the preamble to the final rule, the Agency is not prescribing a method to determine added or retained water. The Agency is, however, requiring the establishment to prepare and have on file a written data collection protocol and the data for determining unavoidable moisture retention. If the establishment has data on file regarding retained water, such as antimicrobial spray testing for meat or air chilling for poultry, additional data collection may not be necessary.
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oppde/rdad/frpubs/97-054F/compliance_guidelines.htm

 

[Rover24]

Nice pull bizznessman! I thought I was at work for a second reading Government Codes, but I totally appreciate the thorough information. Thanks!

 

[SmokinOkie]

Basically it's water that's frozen in the neck area and inside the bird when that flash chill it. And of course they can charge you for it.

To answer the question, enhanced and retained are indeed not the same.

Here's the skinny from the FSIS:

Enhanced or value-added meat and poultry products are raw products that contain flavor solutions added through marinating, needle injecting, soaking, etc. The presence and amount of the solution will be featured as part of the product name, for example, "Chicken Thighs Flavored with up to 10% of a Solution" or "Beef Steak Marinated with 6% of a Flavor Solution." The ingredients of the flavor solution must be prominently identified on the label.

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/Water_in_Meats/index.asp

 

[MIKEMAC]

Publix has house brand and butterball minimally processed turkeys right now. Doing 2 breasts Thursday! I tried a butterball that had been frozen with a small salt solution added and after I brined it it was way too salty. Just did 2 of the minimally processed ones for work yesterday and they were awesome!