Genetic parameters of meat technological quality traits in a grand-parental commercial line of turkey.
Genetic parameters for meat quality traits and their relationships with body weight and breast development were estimated for a total of 420 male turkeys using REML. The birds were slaughtered in a commercial plant and the traits measured included pH at 20 min (pH20) and 24 h post-mortem (pHu) and colour of the breast and thigh meat. The heritabilities of the rate and the extent of the pH fall in the breast muscle were estimated at h2=0.21 +/- 0.04 and h2=0.16 +/- 0.04, respectively. Heritabilities ranging from 0.10 to 0.32 were obtained for the colour indicators in the breast muscle. A marked negative genetic correlation (rg=-0.80 +/- 0.10) was found between pH20 and lightness (L*) of breast meat, both traits corresponding to PSE indicators. The pH20 in the thigh muscle had a moderate heritability (h2=0.20 +/- 0.07) and was partially genetically related to pH20 in the breast muscle (rg=0.45 +/- 0.17). Body weight and breast yield were positively correlated with both initial and ultimate pH and negatively with the lightness of breast meat.
Le Bihan-Duval
Elisabeth
E
Institut national de la recherche agronomique, Station de recherches avicoles, 37380 Nouzilly, France. lebihan@tours.inra.fr
Berri
Cécile
C
Baéza
Elisabeth
E
Santé
Véronique
V
Astruc
Thierry
T
Rémignon
Hervé
H
Le Pottier
Gilles
G
Bentley
James
J
Beaumont
Catherine
C
Fernandez
Xavier
X
D000818:Animals; D008297:Male; D011202:Poultry Products / Q000592:standards*; D014422:Turkeys / Q000235:genetics*