Effect of the exposure to oxidation and malondialdehyde on turkey and rabbit meat protein oxidative stability

The present study aimed at evaluating the effect of the exposure to a strong oxidative environment (100 mM NaClO) and the concurrent incubation with different malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations (0 to 5 mM) on protein carbonylation, free thiol groups, total heme pigments, and on the relative concentration of the different myoglobin (Mb) derivatives in turkey thigh and rabbit hind leg meat to elucidate their eventual role in inducing oxidative modifications on the protein fraction. With regard to turkey meat, the addition of a strong oxidant resulted in remarkably higher (P < 0.001) carbonyls along with a reduction in free thiol groups (which become undetectable). The relative concentration of MbO2 and MetMb was significantly affected (P < 0.001) and total heme pigment was reduced by 62% when fresh meat is compared to its oxidized counterpart. The addition of MDA 2.5 mM (or greater) resulted in a 1.4-fold increase in carbonyls and a tendency (P = 0.07) has been observed for free thiol groups whose content decreased as the MDA level increased. Overall, the aforementioned results are in agreement with those obtained on rabbit hind leg meat in which a three-fold increase (P < 0.001) in carbonyls and a remarkably higher (P < 0.001) MetMb content coupled with a 53% reduction in free thiol groups were found. No significant differences ascribable to MDA addition were found. In conclusion, exposing turkey and rabbit meat to the same environment resulted in distinctive oxidative changes that might be related to the compositional traits and a species-specific susceptibility of the meat toward oxidation. Practical Application: Protein and lipid oxidation have been investigated in different meat types; nevertheless, the knowledge concerning the interaction between these two phenomena is limited. According to their compositional traits (high Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and heme pigment content), turkey and rabbit leg meats are particularly susceptible to oxidation. Providing information concerning the oxidative stability of turkey thigh and rabbit hind leg meat exposed to strong oxidative conditions and to a concurrent increasing content of a secondary product of lipid oxidation, the findings of the present study can be useful when proper processing strategies and storage conditions have to be implemented for manufacturing processed products

A critical review of the mechanisms involved in the occurrence of growth-related abnormalities affecting broiler chicken breast muscles

In the past decade, the poultry industry has faced the occurrence of growth-related muscular abnormalities that mainly affect, with a high incidence rate, the Pectoralis major of the fast-growing genotypes selected for their production performances (high growth rate and breast yield). These myopathies are termed as White Striping, Wooden Breast, and Spaghetti Meat and exhibit distinctive phenotypes. A spatiotemporal distribution has been demonstrated for these disorders as in the early stage they primarily affect the superficial area in the cranial portion of the muscle and, as the birds grow older, involve the entire tissue. Aside from their distinctive phenotypes, these myopathies share common histological features. Thus, it might be speculated that common causative mechanisms might be responsible for the physiological and structural perturbations in the muscle associated with these conditions and might underpin their occurrence. The present review paper aims to represent a critical survey of the outcomes of all the histologic and ultrastructural observations carried out on White Striping, Wooden Breast, and Spaghetti Meat affected muscles. Our analysis has been performed by combining these outcomes with the findings of the genetic studies, trying to identify possible initial causative mechanisms triggering the onset and the time-series of the events ultimately resulting in the development and progression of the growth-related myopathies currently affecting broilers Pectoralis major muscles. Several evidences support the hypothesis that sarcoplasmic reticulum stress, primarily induced an accumulation of misfolded proteins (but also driven by other factors including altered calcium homeostasis and accumulation of fatty acids), may be responsible for the onset of these growth-related myopathies in broilers. At the same time, the development of hypoxic conditions, as a direct consequence of an inadequate vascularization, triggers a time-series sequence of events (i.e., phlebitis, oxidative stress, etc.) resulting in the activation of response mechanisms (i.e., modifications in the energetic metabolism, inflammation, degeneration, and regeneration) which are all strictly related to the progression of these myopathic disorders

Effect of different arginine-to-lysine ratios in broiler chicken diets on the occurrence of breast myopathies and meat quality attributes

This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of different digestible arginine-to-lysine (dig Arg:Lys) ratio in broiler diets on the occurrence of breast myopathies, productivity, and meat quality traits. A total of 1,755 1-day-old Ross 308 male chicks was randomly divided in 3 experimental groups (9 replications/group): CON, fed a 4 feeding-phases commercial diet (dig Arg:Lys ratio = 1.05, 1.05, 1.06, 1.07, respectively in starter, grower I, grower II and finisher phase), and ARG2 and ARG3 groups fed CON diet supplemented respectively with 20 and 30% higher levels of crystalline L-arginine (dig Arg:Lys ratio = 1.25, 1.25, 1.26, 1.27 and 1.35, 1.35, 1.36, 1.37, respectively). Productive performance was recorded throughout the rearing cycle. At processing (43 d), breasts (n = 150/group) were randomly collected to evaluate the incidence and severity of white striping (WS), wooden breast (WB), and spaghetti meat (SM) defects (3- points scale).Meat quality traits, such as color, pH, drip and cook losses, marinade performances, and proximate composition were determined on 12 fillets/group. Although productive performance and meat quality traits resulted not significantly affected, the occurrence of some breast myopathies was modified by the dietary treatments. ARG2 and ARG3 exhibited a significantly higher percentage of breast without WS compared to CON (28 and 41 vs. 17%, respectively; P < 0.001). ARG3 reported the lowest percentage of breasts with severe WS (11 vs. 27 and 31%, respectively for ARG3, ARG2, and CON; P < 0.001) and the highest of those showing no SM abnormality (81 vs. 69 and 65%, respectively for ARG3, ARG2, and CON; P < 0.01). Furthermore, a numerical reduction of breasts with severe WB was observed in ARG3 (12 vs. 25 and 19%, respectively for ARG3, ARG2, and CON; P = 0.12). In conclusion, the dietary supplementation of arginine to increase the dig Arg:Lys ratio by about 30% in respect to the current recommendations for broiler chickens has positive implications on the occurrence of some breast meat abnormalities

Effect of broiler breast abnormality and freezing on meat quality and metabolites assessed by 1H-NMR spectroscopy

ABSTRACT The present study aimed at investigating the impact of the current growth-related abnormalities (White-Striping—WS, Wooden Breast—WB, and Spaghetti Meat—SM) affecting broilers Pectoralis major muscles on the main quality traits, the oxidative stability of both the lipid and protein fraction as well as the water mobility assessed in fresh and frozen/thawed meat. In addition, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (1 H-NMR) was applied to quantify free amino acids, histidine-containing dipeptides and metabolites involved in energy-generating pathways. Overall, the occurrence of WS, WB, and SM abnormalities remarkably affected the quality traits (pH, color, and water holding capacity) and oxidative stability of the meat, with the WB condition leading to the most detrimental effects. However, overall, freezing and subsequent thawing only partially worsened the aforementioned traits. Significant variations in free amino acids and histidine-containing dipeptides were found between abnormal muscles and their unaffected counterpart by 1 H-NMR spectroscopy and, aside from the occurrence of muscular defects, their content was remarkably reduced in frozen/thawed meat. The findings obtained by analyzing the metabolites through 1 H-NMR spectroscopy allowed to advance the knowledge concerning the impact of freezing and subsequent thawing on meat quality traits and provided useful information concerning the underlying mechanisms responsible for the development of WS, WB, and SM abnormalities in broilers

Impact of chronic heat stress on behavior, oxidative status and meat quality traits of fast-growing broiler chickens

This research aimed to investigate, through a multifactorial approach, the relationship among some in-vivo parameters (i.e., behavior and blood traits) in broilers exposed to chronic HS, and their implications on proximate composition, technological properties, and oxidative stability of breast meat. A total of 300 Ross 308 male chickens were exposed, from 35 to 41 days of age, to either thermoneutral conditions (TNT group: 20 degrees C; six replicates of 25 birds/each) or elevated ambient temperature (HS group: 24 h/d at 30 degrees C; six replicates of 25 birds/each). In order to deal with thermal stress, HS chickens firstly varied the frequency of some behaviors that are normally expressed also in physiological conditions (i.e., increasing "drinking" and decreasing "feeding") and then exhibited a behavioral pattern finalized at dissipating heat, primarily represented by "roosting," "panting" and "elevating wings." Such modifications become evident when the temperature reached 25 degrees C, while the behavioral frequencies tended to stabilize at 27 degrees C with no further substantial changes over the 6 days of thermal challenge. The multifactorial approach highlighted that these behavioral changes were associated with oxidative and inflammatory status as indicated by lower blood gamma- tocopherol and higher carbonyls level (0.38 vs. 0.18 nmol/mL, and 2.39 vs. 7.19 nmol/mg proteins, respectively for TNT and HS; p &lt; 0.001). HS affected breast meat quality by reducing the moisture:protein ratio (3.17 vs. 3.01, respectively for TNT and HS; p &lt; 0.05) as well as the muscular acidification (ultimate pH = 5.81 vs. 6.00, respectively; p &lt; 0.01), resulting in meat with higher holding capacity and tenderness. HS conditions reduced thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) concentration in the breast meat while increased protein oxidation. Overall results evidenced a dynamic response of broiler chickens to HS exposure that induced behavioral and physiological modifications strictly linked to alterations of blood parameters and meat quality characteristics

Evolution of proteolytic indicators during storage of broiler wooden breast meat

In the past few yr, an emerging muscle abnormality termed wooden breast (WB) was found to affect broilers' Pectoralis major muscles. Although different studies have been performed in order to evaluate the effect of WB on meat quality, there is no evidence concerning its impact on the proteolytic processes taking place during meat aging. Thus, this study aimed at investigating the effect of a 7-day storage of broiler breast fillets on free calcium concentration, calpain activity, and proteolysis. Both the superficial and the deep layers of the Pectoralis major muscles were considered. Although similar electrophoretic profiles were observed by comparing the corresponding sampling positions, an evident lack of a high-molecular weight protein band, ascribed to nebulin, was found in the superficial layer of the WB fillets at 10 h postmortem. Compared to normal fillets (NB), both the superficial and the deep layer of WB exhibited a significantly higher amount of free calcium at 168 h postmortem (96 and 88 vs. 20 and 53 mu M; PPeer reviewe

Histology, composition, and quality traits of chicken Pectoralis major muscle affected by wooden breast abnormality

Only a few years ago, the poultry industry began to face a recent abnormality in breast meat, known as wooden breast, which frequently overlaps with white striping. This study aimed to assess the impact of wooden breast abnormality on quality traits of meat. For this purpose, 32 normal (NRM), 32 wooden (WB), and 32 wooden and white-striped (WB/WS) Pectoralis major muscles were selected from the same flock of heavy broilers (males, Ross 708, weighing around 3.7 kg) in the deboning area of a commercial processing plant at 3 h postmortem and used to assess histology, proximate (moisture, protein, fat, ash, and collagen) and mineral composition (Mg, K, P, Na and Ca), sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar protein patterns, and technological traits of breast meat. Compared to the normal group, WB/WS fillets showed more severe histological lesions characterized by fiber degeneration, fibrosis, and lipidosis, coupled with a significantly harder texture. With regard to proximate and mineral composition, abnormal samples exhibited significantly (P < 0.001) higher moisture, fat, and collagen contents coupled with lower (P < 0.001) amounts of protein and ash. Furthermore, increased calcium (131 vs. 84 mg kg(-1); P < 0.05) and sodium (741 vs. 393 mg kg(-1); P < 0.001) levels were found in WB/WS meat samples. The SDS-PAGE analysis revealed a significantly lower amount of calcium-ATPase (SERCA, 114 kDa), responsible for the translocation of Ca ions across the membrane, in normal breasts compared to abnormal ones. As for meat quality traits, fillets affected by wooden abnormality exhibited significantly (P < 0.001) higher ultimate pH and lower water-holding/water-binding capacity. In particular, compared to normal, abnormal samples showed reduced marinade uptake coupled with increased drip loss and cooking losses as well. In conclusion, this study revealed that meat affected by wooden breast or both wooden breast and white striping abnormalities exhibit poorer nutritional value, harder texture, and impaired water-holding capacity

Comparison of 2 commercial turkey hybrids: productivity, occurrence of breast myopathies, and meat quality properties

This study was undertaken to compare productive performance, occurrence of breast myopathies, chemical composition, and technological properties of the meat in 2 dominant commercial turkey hybrids. A total of 972 1-day-old male turkey poults (equally divided in hybrid A and B) were randomly distributed in 18 floor pens. Overall, productive performance resulted similar between the genotypes, although they showed different growth profile (turkeys from group B grew up faster up to 84 d). Regarding the occurrence of myopathies, the percentage of breasts affected by white striping was markedly higher in both genotypes (46 vs. 60% of severe lesions, respectively for A and B; P < 0.05), while the occurrence of spaghetti meat-like condition was negligible. The histological features of the different categories of meat abnormalities resulted similar to those previously described for chicken hybrids. The technological traits such as ultimate pH, lightness, redness, marinade uptake, cooking losses, and shear force were not significantly affected by the genotype. However, turkeys from group B exhibited lower yellowness (b*, 0.50 vs. 1.04; P < 0.05) and higher drip losses (1.34 vs. 1.26%; P < 0.05). The shelf-life test on thigh meat showed no significant changes in meat color over the storage time in both hybrids, whereas thigh meat from group A showed absolute lower values of lightness (L*) and yellowness (b*) (P < 0.05). Lipid oxidation of thigh meat significantly increased during storage, although no significant difference was found between the hybrids. Proximate composition and intramuscular collagen properties resulted similar between genetic lines with the exception of total fat content (1.55 vs. 1.21%, respectively for A and B; P < 0.05). The genotype had a moderate effect on fatty acid families of breast meat as only monounsaturated fatty acid content was significantly affected (31.7 vs. 29.8%, respectively for A and B). In conclusion, the overall productive traits of commercial turkeys, including the occurrence of muscle myopathies, as well as quality attributes of fresh and refrigerated meat were only slightly affected by the genotype

Effect of n-methylacetamide concentration and thawing rate on chicken sperm quality after cryopreservation

In seeking alternative cryoprotectants to glycerol for a reference chicken semen freezing procedure, the aim of the present study was to compare the effect of two concentrations of N-Methylacetamide (MA) and two thawing rates on the quality of frozen-thawed semen. Semen samples were diluted in Lake pre-freezing extender, including 0.1 M trehalose in presence of 6% or 9% MA, loaded into straws, frozen in nitrogen vapors, and stored in liquid nitrogen. The following thawing treatments were used: 5 \ub0C for 100 s and 38 \ub0C for 30 s. Sperm quality (cell membrane integrity, motility and kinetic parameters) was assessed before and after cryopreservation. The decrease of MA concentration from 9 to 6% improved sperm quality after freezing/thawing and this effect was dependent on thawing temperature. Decreasing the MA concentration from 9 to 6% improved the proportion of undamaged membrane, motile, and progressive motile sperm recovered after thawing at 5 \ub0C for 100 s; in contrast, no effect of the MA concentration was observed thawing at 38 \ub0C for 30 s. Therefore, the treatment with 6% MA and thawing at 5 \ub0C for 100 s has given the best cryoprotective action. These results contribute to improve the efficacy of the current chicken semen cryopreservation procedures