Current meat quality challenges for the poultry industry – a review

Poultry meat consumption has increased substantially over the last decades and the lifestyle changes have also dramatically modified the way, in which poultry meat is marketed and consumed. Therefore food technologies have become part of the poultry industry and today much of the production is marketed in the form of cut-up and processed products. The global success of chicken meat is made possible by its affordability, nutritional and sensory properties, ease of preparation as well as the absence of religious restraints. Poultry meat consumption is expected to further increase in the near future. However, in addition to well-known issues such as microbiological hazards associated with poultry meat consumption, welfare problems as indirect effects of artificial selection for high growth-rate, negative consumer attitudes towards intensive production systems, also increased consumers’ perception of undifferentiated products and progressive loss of nutritional biodiversity of the meat should be not overlooked

Muscle Growth and Poultry Meat Quality Issues

Over the past 50 years the worldwide growing demand of poultry meat has resulted in pressure on breeders, nutritionists and growers to increase the growth rate of birds, feed efficiency, size of breast muscle and reduction in abdominal fatness. Moreover, the shift toward further processed products has emphasized the necessity for higher standards in poultry meat to improve sensory characteristics and functional properties. It is believed that genetic progress has put more stress on the growing bird and it has resulted in histological and biochemical modifications of the muscle tissue by impairing some meat quality traits. The most current poultry meat quality concerns are associated with deep pectoral muscle disease and white striping which impair product appearance, and increased occurrence of problems related with the meat’s poor ability to hold water during processing and storage (PSE-like condition) as well as poor toughness and cohesiveness related to immaturity of intramuscular connective tissue. This paper is aimed at making a general statement of recent studies focusing on the relationship between muscle growth and meat quality issues in poultry

Editorial: Rising stars in avian physiology: 2022

Recognizing the future leaders of Avian Physiology is fundamental to safeguarding tomorrow’s driving force in innovation. This Research Topic is aimed to supporting scientists in the early stages of their careers across a wide range of disciplines by selecting and publishing their research output at the highest quality standards. In some sense, Avian Physiology is an amalgam of several fields and disciplines. This is reflected in the fact that veterinary oversight of animal research often distinguishes birds from poultry, birds that are used in agriculture. On one hand, avian physiologists who study poultry with the important objective of improving the health and profitability of poultry species are frequently called “poultry scientists”. Poultry scientists have their own journals, such as Poultry Science, and their own societies, such as the Poultry Science Association and others. On the other hand, avian physiologists who study basic mechanisms in a variety of avian species, including poultry species, are often called “ornithologists”. Ornithologists, like poultry scientists, have their own journals, such as Auk and Condor, as well as societies such as the International Ornithological Congress. And there are societies, such as the International Society for Avian Endocrinology, and journals, such as this journal, that address scientific issues from the breadth of Avian Physiology. This Research Topic reflects that breadth

Avian muscle development and growth mechanisms: association with muscle myopathies and meat quality Volume II

open2siGiven the significant interest in Volume I, it was decided to launch Volume II of the Research Topic “Avian Muscle Development and Growth Mechanisms: Association With Muscle Myopathies and Meat Quality.” The broiler industry is still facing an unsustainable occurrence of growth-related muscular abnormalities that mainly affect fast-growing genotypes selected for high growth rate and breast yield. From their onset, research interest in these issues continues as proven by the temporal trend of published papers during the past decade (Figure 1). Even if meat affected by white striping, wooden breast, and spaghetti meat abnormalities is not harmful for human nutrition, these conditions impair quality traits of both raw and processed meat products causing severe economic losses in the poultry industry worldwide (Petracci et al., 2019; Velleman, 2019). Since the Research Topic of “Avian Muscle Development and Growth Mechanisms: Association With Muscle Myopathies and Meat Quality” is quite diverse, contributions in this second volume reflect the broad scope of areas of investigation related to muscle growth and development with 11 original research papers and one mini-review from prominent scientists in the sector. We hope that this collection will instigate novel questions in the minds of our readers and will be helpful in facilitating the development of the field.openMassimiliano Petracci; Sandra G. VellemanMassimiliano Petracci; Sandra G. Vellema

The influence of linseed on rabbit meat quality

A research was conducted to study the infl uence of the dietary use of whole linseed on rabbit meat quality. A total of 288 growing rabbits were fed ad libitum (from 55 to 81 d old) with a commercial diet (C) or experimental diets containing 3, 6, or 9% whole linseed (L3, L6 and L9, respectively). After slaughtering, L. lumborum muscles and rabbit meat hamburgers were used to determine pH, colour, cooking loss, total lipid content, fatty acid composition and induced TBARS. Hind leg muscles were analyzed for total lipid content, fatty acid composition and induced TBARS. Finally, a sensory test was carried out to establish the level of acceptability of rabbit meat hamburgers prepared with the meat batters stored for 3 or 6 months at −20°C. The use of linseed determined a lower content of total saturated fatty acid and a higher content of PUFA (P<0.01) in all types of meat. The PUFA n-3 content of the meat increased signifi cantly (P<0.01) with the increasing level of whole linseed in the diet, mainly due to the higher content of α-linolenic acid, which also determined a reduction of the n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio. The hamburgers prepared from L6 and L9 groups exhibited higher TBARS values in comparison with L3 and C. Furthermore, the cooking loss of hamburgers was lower in meat from rabbits fed the control diet (C), intermediate in L3 and higher in L6 and L9 (P<0.01). With regard to sensory analysis, the diet did not determine signifi cant differences in the acceptability of the hamburgers produced with frozen meat batters stored for 3 or 6 months. In general, the use of 3% linseed in diets for growing rabbits could be considered suitable for achieving both the enrichment of the meat with α-linolenic acid and maintaining good product quality characteristics

Spaghetti Meat Abnormality in Broilers: Current Understanding and Future Research Directions

open3noSpaghetti meat (SM) is a recent muscular abnormality that affects the Pectoralis major muscle of fast-growing broilers. As the appellative suggests, this condition phenotypically manifests as a loss of integrity of the breast muscle, which appears soft, mushy, and sparsely tight, resembling spaghetti pasta. The incidence of SM can reach up to 20% and its occurrence exerts detrimental effects on meat composition, nutritional value, and technological properties, accounting for an overall decreased meat value and important economic losses related to the necessity to downgrade affected meats. However, due to its recentness, the causative mechanisms are still partially unknown and less investigated compared to other muscular abnormalities (i.e., White Striping and Wooden Breast), for which cellular stress and hypoxia caused by muscle hypertrophy are believed to be the main triggering factors. Within this scenario, the present review aims at providing a clear and concise summary of the available knowledge concerning SM abnormality and concurrently presenting the existing research gaps, as well as the potential future developments in the field.openBaldi, Giulia; Soglia, Francesca; Petracci, MassimilianoBaldi, Giulia; Soglia, Francesca; Petracci, Massimilian

Sarcomere lengths in wooden breast broiler chickens

The present study aims to measure the sarcomere lengths in normal broiler muscles and in non-lesion sites of breast muscles focally affected by Wooden Breast (WB). For this purpose, twenty Pectoralis major muscles (10 unaffected and 10 WB-focally affected cases) were sampled and used to measure sarcomere length by laser diffraction method. When compared with their unaffected counterpart, WB cases exhibited 13% longer sarcomeres (1.91 vs. 1.69 mu m; p <.001) measured within the non-lesioned site of the muscle. Although it is not simple to draw conclusions about the lesion properties based on the non-lesion area, but as the fibres are bound to each other, it may be reasonable to anticipate that the hardened consistency observed in WB is not ascribable to a more intense contraction of the sarcomeres. In addition, considering the current knowledge concerning this condition, it might be assumed that the longer sarcomeres observed in WB are not triggering the development of this condition but are rather a consequence of the profound alteration in the muscular structure resulting from it. Indeed, despite the outstanding improvements in the live and slaughtering traits, the selection programmes carried out in the past years have resulted in a reduced capillarization and impaired oxygen supply to the Pectoralis major of fast-growing hybrids thus affecting the physiology of its constituting fibres as well as maybe impairing their ability to synthetise new sarcomeres. This may result in a skeletal muscle injury, which would ultimately lead to necrosis and fibrosis.Peer reviewe

Current Status of Poultry Meat Abnormalities

Over the past decade, the poultry industry has faced an increasing occurrence of growth-related muscular abnormalities that mainly affect fast-growing genotypes selected for their production performances (high growth rate and breast yield). These abnormalities, termed white striping (WS), wooden breast (WB) and spaghetti meat (SM), primarily affect the superficial portion of pectoralis major muscles. Despite their distinctive phenotypes, WS, WB, and SM conditions entail common histological features, i.e., they might share common causative mechanisms underpinning their occurrence. Meat affected by growth-related abnormalities is harmless for human nutrition since no specific biological or chemical hazards have been found to be related to its consumption. However, WS, WB, and SM abnormalities negatively affect both quality traits and technological properties of raw and processed meat, causing relevant economic damages in the poultry industry. This paper aims to provide an update about the current status of poultry meat abnormalities, giving useful insights about their impact on meat quality, the possible causative mechanisms, methods for mitigation, and future perspectives

The use of marination to improve poultry meat quality

A study was conducted to determine the effect of marination on turkey breast meat quality traits. Breast meat samples were marinated with two types of solution (containing sodium tripolyphosphate, STPP or a commercial mix with sodium carbonate and citrate, COM) and three solution/meat ratios (14, 18, and 22%). Marination with STPP determined a higher increase of meat pH in comparison with COM (pH measured before and after marination = +0.20 vs. +0.14; P≤0.05). The marinade uptake and AK-shear values did not differ between solutions, whereas STPP determined a higher marinade retention (98.2 vs. 97.9%; P≤0.05) and a strong decrease of cooking loss (21.8 vs. 28.1%; P≤0.01) compared with COM. The increase of solution/meat ratio from 14 to 22% significantly raised meat pH, marinade uptake, and cooking loss of the meat. Taking into account both marinade uptake and cooking losses, the use of a 14% solution/meat ratio allowed to maximise processing yield. Overall, compared to non-marinated meat, marinated meat exhibited a higher lightness and yellowness, and a lower AK-shear value after cooking, confirming that this technique can be successfully employed to improve meat texture

Wooden Breast, White Striping and Spaghetti Meat: Chemical Composition, Technological Quality, Microbiological Profile and Sensory Attributes of Broiler Breasts

Poultry meat is consumed worldwide and its production is expected to increase in the up‑coming years. Genetic selection in poultry focused on growth rate, feed conversion, and breast yield, resulting in the occurrence of white striping and wooden breast abnormalities and, most recently, spaghetti meat. These myopathies affect the quality traits of raw meat, including pH, color, water holding capacity, and cooking loss, which limit its further processing and decrease consumer acceptance. Additionally, the effects of myopathies on the chemical composition, i.e., reduced protein and essential amino acid content and increased fat contents, impair to some extent the nutritional value of the mea