Correlations Between Muscle Fibers Characteristics and Meat Quality Attributes of Biceps Femoris Muscle: a Comparative Study of 2 Distinctive Broiler Breeds

Mehmood, WZhang, C

The current study was conducted to develop the correlations between muscle fiber characteristics and meat quality attributes in the biceps femoris muscle of Arbor Acres (AA) and Yellow-feathered chicken (YFC). A total of fourty pure breed birds of AA (n=20) and YFC (n=20) were used in the experiment. After slaughtering at their respective market age of slaughtering: AA 40 d and YFC 120 d, samples were collected for meat quality attributes and myosin ATPase staining for fiber types analyses. Meat quality attributes and muscle fiber characteristics i-e; diameter, cross-sectional area (CSA) and density of AA were significantly different from the YFC (p 0.05). Type I fibers number percentage was significantly higher in YFC than AA, whereas CSA and fiber diameter were higher in AA (p 0.05). Negative correlations were obtained between lightness (L*) and type I fiber number percentage in AA (p 0.05). In YFC fiber number percentage, CSA and diameter of type IIA were negatively correlated with Warner-Bratzler Shear Force. Taken together, muscle fibers characteristics of AA and YFC differ in both breeds and have influenced the meat quality attributes.(AU)

1. Yellow-feathered chicken
2. meat quality
3. Arbor Acres
4. Muscle fibers
5. correlations