title: Genetic parameters of meat technological quality traits in a grand-parental commercial line of turkey.
abstract: 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.
authors: Institut national de la recherche agronomique, Station de recherches avicoles, 37380 Nouzilly, France. lebihan@tours.inra.fr
authors: Elisabeth
authors: E
authors: Le Bihan-Duval
authors: Cécile
authors: C
authors: Berri
authors: Elisabeth
authors: E
authors: Baéza
authors: Véronique
authors: V
authors: Santé
authors: Thierry
authors: T
authors: Astruc
authors: Hervé
authors: H
authors: Rémignon
authors: Gilles
authors: G
authors: Le Pottier
authors: James
authors: J
authors: Bentley
authors: Catherine
authors: C
authors: Beaumont
authors: Xavier
authors: X
authors: Fernandez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D008297:Male; D011202:Poultry Products / Q000592:standards*; D014422:Turkeys / Q000235:genetics*