Meat Quality and Myofibrillar Protein Characteristics of Wanxi White Geese at Different Ages, Parts and Sexes

This study investigated the differences in meat quality, nutritional composition, and myofibrillar protein (MP) characteristics of Wanxi white geese across different ages (120, 180, and 365 days old), different muscle parts (breast and leg muscles), and different genders. The results showed that with increasing age, shear force significantly increased (reaching 46.5 N in 365-day-old leg muscle, PL*) and redness (a*) values increased, and tenderness, protein, and fat content showed a decreasing trend. Leg muscles exhibited significantly higher water-holding capacity (up to 76.74%) and pH than breast muscles (P2/mg, PPP<0.05). These findings provide a theoretical basis for assessing the processing suitability of Wanxi White geese meat and developing differentiated products.