This study investigated the effect of early post-mortem temperature on broiler protein characteristics and meat quality. Muscles were kept at different temperatures (0, 20 and 40°C) until 4h post-mortem and then stored at 4°C. Rapid degradation of ATP and glycogen, thus inducing a high rate of lactate formation and pH drop, were found in the 40°C group during incubation. When extracting proteins, a lower protein content of the sarcoplasmic fraction and a higher protein content of the myofibrillar fraction were found in the 40°C group at 24h post-mortem; SDS-PAGE and western-blotting results revealed that phosphorylase was associated with the myofibrillar fraction. Furthermore, the 40°C group had paler surfaces, higher drip loss and lower processing properties. These data suggest that elevated temperature during early post-mortem period, resulting in rapid glycolysis, induced phosphorylase denaturation and association with myofibrillar proteins thus generating pale and exudative characteristics.