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

ABSTRACT 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.