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The purpose of the present study was to analyze carcass composition, physicochemical properties, muscle texture, and structure, as well as morphometry of the digestive tract and leg bone dimensions of Cherry Valley ducks (SM3 Heavy hybrid) and Orvia ducks (ST5 Heavy hybrid) after laying. A total of 32 ducks were dissected, 8 females and 8 males from each breeding set. Analysis of meat quality (breast muscle, leg muscle) in terms of color (L*, a*, b*), acidity (pH 24 ), electrical conductivity (EC 24 ), and basic chemical composition (protein, water, fat, collagen) was performed. Analysis of the texture and structure of the pectoral muscle was also performed. The dimensions of the various lengths of the digestive tract and the dimensions of the tibia and femur were analyzed. Cherry Valley ducks after laying have better slaughter performance and a higher proportion of breast muscle in the carcass (P < 0.001). Also more favorable chemical composition (protein, fat, water) and physical properties (acidity, electrical conductivity, thermal loss) of muscle. In terms of texture characteristics, the pectoral muscle of Cherry Valley ducks was more elastic and cohesive, but also more flexible with higher viscosity, while the pectoral muscles of Orvia ducks in terms of structure were characterized by smaller values of the analyzed characteristics (cross-sectional area of fibers and smaller vertical and horizontal diameter). Analyzing the morphometry of the digestive system, Orvia ducks were characterized by longer sections of the digestive tract, which certainly has a beneficial effect on the absorption of nutrients. In terms of tibia and femur measurements taken, there were no differences between genotypes, while males were characterized by higher values of the analyzed traits compared to females., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The purpose of this study was to compare analyze the quality of meat depending on the type of muscle: breast muscles (m. Pectoralis superficialis and m. Pectoralis profundus) and leg muscles (m. Sartorius and m. Femorotibialis) in relation to the sex of the common guinea fowl (Numida meleagris). For the study, pectoral muscles and leg muscles from 10 females and 10 males at 20 wk of age were used to determine their chemical composition, physicochemical properties, and texture characteristics of the pectoral muscle were determined. Overall, pectoral muscles were characterized by higher protein content, lightness (L*), and electrical conductivity (EC 24 ), and lower redness (a*), and pH 24 compared to leg muscles. Leg muscles, on the other hand, were characterized by higher, collagen, intramuscular fat and salt content. In terms of pectoral muscle texture characteristics, males were characterized by lower chewiness value and were less gumminess. In conclusion, it can be said that the sex of the birds affected some of the pectoral muscle texture traits, but did not affect the remaining analyzed features of the pectoral and leg muscles. However, from the consumer's point of view, breast muscles contained more protein and less fat, so they are more dietary compared to leg muscles., Competing Interests: DISCLOSURES The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The purpose of the study was to compare young (6-wk-old) and spent (52-wk-old) Japanese quail in terms of body weight, carcass characteristics, and some meat quality traits. Whole carcasses were dissected, pectoral muscles and leg muscles were sampled for determination of basic chemical composition and L*a*b* color parameters, while m. pectoralis major was sampled for texture and microstructure traits. Age of quails had a significant effect on body weight, carcass weight, carcass yield, pectoral muscle, abdominal fat and skin with subcutaneous fat, and carcass remainders contents in eviscerated carcass. Spent quails had significantly higher intramuscular fat content in pectoral and leg muscles and protein content in breast muscle, and also lower content of water in breast and leg muscles than young quails. Slaughter age significantly affected lightness (L*) and redness (a*) of pectoral muscles, as well as texture traits (except for cohesiveness) and microstructure of m. pectoralis major, except for thickness of perimysium and endomysium. Regardless of age, quail sex had an effect on the carcass traits studied (except for leg muscle content), intramuscular fat content of pectoral and leg muscles, water content of leg muscles and yellowness of pectoral muscle. In addition, a significant effect of quail sex was found on cutting work, springiness, chewiness and marked microstructural characteristics, except for vertical fiber diameter. The interaction between age and sex was significant for most slaughter and microstructural characteristics and also WB-shear force of m. pectoralis major, and L*, b* pectoral muscles. Higher fatness of carcasses, higher intramuscular fat in meat, and poorer textural and microstructural characteristics of m. pectoralis major spent Japanese quail indicate poorer fulfillment of most consumers' requirements compared to carcasses and meat of young quails., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of 2 Ross 308 parent broiler housing systems (SLS-slat-litter system vs. LS-litter-based system) in terms of carcass composition, meat quality traits (chemical composition, texture, physicochemical properties), as well as biometric traits of the digestive system and leg bones. The weight of the eviscerated carcass and the proportion of carcass components were determined at the end of the reproductive period (60 wk of life) following slaughter. The lengths and diameters of the individual intestinal segments, the weight of selected internal organs, the acidity (pH 24 ) and electrical conductivity (EC 24 ), as well as the color (L*, a*, b*) of breast and thigh muscles were assessed. The basal chemical composition of the breast and thigh muscles was also determined, texture analysis of the pectoralis major muscle and measurements of the femur and tibia of parent broilers were also carried out. The housing system differentiated the birds in terms of percentage of breast muscle (SLS-27.4% vs. LS-26.0%) and intramuscular fat content in the breast muscle (SLS-1.1% vs. LS-0.7%), spleen weight pH of the breast and thigh muscles and EC of the thigh muscles (SLS-9.3 mS/cm vs. LS-7.0 mS/cm). Differences were also found between the study groups in the color of the breast and thigh muscles. The housing system affected the results of the texture analysis of the pectoralis major muscle. The birds differed significantly (P < 0.05) in terms of gumminess (SLS-11.1 N vs. LS-16.0 N), springiness, chewiness (SLS-17.6 N × cm vs. LS-23.4 N × cm) and cohesiveness parameters. The housing system did not affect the lengths and diameters of the individual intestinal segments, except for the length of the terminal intestine. There was no significant effect of the housing system on the tibia and femur dimensions analyzed. This study provided information about differences in certain carcass characteristics, meat quality, and the digestive system of Ross 308 parent broilers in relation to the maintenance system., Competing Interests: DISCLOSURES The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The aim of the study was to compare P33 (Polish Pekin), P8 (Danish Pekin), and LsA (English Pekin) ducks after 2 reproductive seasons for carcass composition and some meat quality traits. A total of 48 duck carcasses (8 male carcasses and 8 female carcasses of each genotype) were studied. Whole carcasses were dissected, and pH and electrical conductivity of the breast and leg muscles were determined 24 h postmortem. After dissection, breast and leg muscles were sampled to determine proximate composition, some minerals, and physicochemical properties. Breast muscles were also analyzed for textural characteristics, microstructural characteristics, and rheological properties. At 112 wk of age, genotype and sex were found to have no significant effect on carcass weight and percentage of carcass components. The genotype of the birds had a significant effect on the water and fat content in the pectoral and leg muscles, as well as protein and collagen in the leg muscles. The origin of the ducks had a significant impact on the magnesium content in pectoral muscles and Warner-Bratzler shear force pectoralis muscle major, as well as the electrical conductivity of the leg muscles. The differences in duck genotype had a significant effect on the sum of elastic moduli, fiber cross-sectional area, fiber perimeter, and vertical fiber diameter of pectoralis major muscle. Regardless of the genetic origin, breast muscles from 112-week-old males had a lower fat content, and male leg muscles contained more water and protein and less fat and collagen than the female muscles. The genotype by sex interaction was significant for the content of breast muscles, skin with subcutaneous fat, and neck percentage and for the water and fat content in breast and leg muscles., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

The aim of the study was to compare P33 (Polish Pekin), P8 (Danish Pekin), and P9 ducks (French Pekin) for body weight, dressing percentage, carcass composition, and selected meat quality traits. A total of 180 ducks, 30 males and 30 females of each strain, were kept indoors on deep litter and fed complete commercial diets ad libitum. At the end of 8 wk, the ducks were weighed and 7 males and 7 females of each strain (42 birds in total) were slaughtered and dissected. The pH and electrical conductivity of breast and leg muscles were determined 24 h postmortem. After dissection, samples of breast and leg muscles were collected to determine of selected meat quality characteristics. At the age of 8 wk, P8 ducks had significantly higher body weight and carcass weight compared to P9 and P33 birds. The carcasses of P8 ducks contained significantly more breast muscles compared to the carcasses of P9 birds. The proportion of abdominal fat was higher in P8 and P9 ducks than in P33 ducks. Regardless of the genetic origin, males had a significantly lower percentage of breast muscles and a higher proportion of neck in the carcass compared to females. P33, P8, and P9 ducks exhibited significant differences in the sodium and magnesium content of breast muscles and in the sodium, potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium content of leg muscles. Male breast muscles contained more sodium, and their leg muscles had a lower potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and iron content compared to females. The breast and leg muscles of P9 ducks exhibited lower electrical conductivity (EC24) compared to P8 and P33 ducks, while the breast muscles of P9 ducks had a significantly higher cooking loss. The strains of ducks under study differed in lightness (L*) and redness (a*), and in hardness, chewiness and gumminess of pectoralis major muscle. Females showed higher hardness and chewiness of breast muscles compared to males., (© 2019 Poultry Science Association Inc.)

The present study investigated the possible differences in carcass composition as well as texture, structure and percentage of different muscle types of the most valuable muscles (BF - biceps femoris, SM - semimembranosus, and L - longissimus) from fallow deer (Dama dama L.) bucks shot in the forest farm in north-western Poland at four different ages: 18, 30, 42 and 54 months. It was found that carcasses of young fallow deer (18-30 months), compared to older animals, were characterised by a higher dressing proportion, a higher percentage of the most valuable commercial cuts (the saddle, haunch and shoulder), high meat yield with the lowest percentage of bones and a lower percentage of skin and head. Their muscles, compared with older animals, were characterised by a lower percentage of red fibres, lower muscle fibre area, thinner perimysium and endomysium, lower amount of intramuscular fat and as a consequence lower hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, as well as a higher pH and lower thermal drip., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Histochemistry (percentage number of three type fibres and their cross-sectional area) and changes in hardness, rheological properties (elastic and viscous moduli), and structural elements (mean fibre cross-sectional area and thickness of endomysium) of four wild boar muscles of different ages: biceps femoris (BF), semimembranosus (SM), quadriceps femoris (QF), and longissimus (L) subjected to effective massaging for 1, 2, 3, and 4h were evaluated. BF, with the high percentage of type I fibres, higher mean fibre cross-sectional area, thicker endomysium as compared with QF, SM and L, was harder, more elastic, and more viscous than the other three muscles. Muscles of older boars were found to contain higher percentages of type I fibres, lower percentages of type IIB fibres, bigger muscle fibre cross-sectional areas, thicker endomysium and higher values of hardness than the same muscles of young boars, whereas the percentage of type IIA fibres was about the same in the muscles of both groups. No effect of age on rheological properties was found. Muscle massaging resulted in an increase in the mean fibre cross-sectional area, changes in thickness of the endomysium, reduction in hardness and viscous moduli as well as in the elastic moduli of the muscles studied. The lower the initial values of textural and structural parameters and percentage of type I fibres of a muscle were, the higher was the muscles susceptibility to massage. BF compared to SM, QF and L, of all the older boar muscles tested compared to those obtained from young boars were less susceptible to mechanical tenderization.

Texture, histology and muscle fibre characteristic of selected muscles: m. quadriceps femoris (QF), m. biceps femoris (BF), and m. semimembranosus (SM) of wild boars of different carcass weight (20±2 and 60±3kgSD) were compared. Muscle texture (hardness, cohesiveness, springiness, chewiness) was determined with the double penetration test performed with the Instron 1140 apparatus. Structural elements (muscle fibre cross-section area, perimysium and endomysium thickness) and percentage of myofibres of each type: I (slow oxidative), IIA (fast oxidative-glycolytic) and IIB (fast glycolytic) per muscle fibre bundle, were measured in muscle samples using a computer image analysis program. The young wild boar muscles showed significantly lower values for the textural parameters (p<0.05). The muscle fibre cross-sectional areas of the juvenile wild boar muscles were significantly lower and the perimysium and endomysium thinner (p<0.05) than those in the old wild boar meat, while the percentage of type IIB fibres was higher. Of all the wild boar muscles tested, the highest hardness and chewiness values were found in BF which, at the same time, showed the highest fibre cross-sectional area and the thickest perimysium and endomysium. The highest percentage of I and IIA fibre types was typical of BF and SM either in young or in old wild boars with the lowest percentage of type I and the highest percentage of type IIB fibres being found in the QF. The results suggest that a higher hardness of wild boar muscles can be connected with a thicker perimysium and endomysium, fibres of higher cross-sectional area and probably a higher content of red fibres (type I).

Osteoporosis, in the absence of fracture, is defined as a deficit in bone mineral density (BMD) of 2.5 SD or more below the young adult reference mean in postmenopausal Caucasian populations. BMD is a measure of fracture risk but not the sole predictor. We have assessed a combination of easily accessible measures of age, height, weight, and BMD to improve fracture risk assessment. Women with low trauma fractures and a control group were recruited from south-eastern Australia. Discriminant analysis derived multivariate equations that assessed fracture risk. Age was not in the best models at the spine and forearm sites. Weight and height contributed to the relationship for the forearm sites only. At the proximal femur, the BMD level that separates fracture cases from nonfracture cases, increases with age. These separation levels of BMD were higher than the WHO's level of osteoporosis (T-score < -2.5 SD) at ages older than 62 years. This increasing BMD threshold with age suggests that other age-related risk factors assume increasing importance among the elderly.

Objective: We sought to test the hypothesis that exposure to oral contraceptives protects the skeleton., Study Design: Multiple regression techniques were used to analyze data for a random sample of 710 Australian women (age range, 20-69 years). Bone mineral density was measured at the lumbar spine, proximal femur, whole body, and distal forearm. Oral contraceptive exposure was assessed by a questionnaire., Results: Women exposed to oral contraceptives had a 3.3% greater mean bone mineral density adjusted for body mass index and age at the lumbar spine (partial r (2) = 0.009; P =.014). Adjusted mean vertebral bone mineral density was 3.3% greater for premenopausal women (partial r (2) = 0.008; P <.05), but the effect did not reach significance among postmenopausal women. Higher bone mineral density was associated with increased duration of exposure, with a mean increase of 3.2% associated with the first 5 years and a further 0.2% with >/=5 years of exposure. No association was detected at other sites., Conclusion: Exposure to oral contraceptives may be associated with higher lumbar spine bone mineral density.