Research Note: Comparison of histochemical characteristics, chicken meat quality, and heat shock protein expressions between PSE-like condition and white-stripping features of pectoralis major muscle

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The present study compared the histochemical and meat quality characteristics of broiler pectoralis major (PM) muscle among the groups categorized according to muscle abnormalities, including pale, soft, and exudative (PSE)-like condition and white-striping (WS) feature. Additionally, this study investigated the associations between muscular abnormalities and expression levels of heat shock proteins (HSPs), including αβ-crystallin, HSP70, and HSP90, at the early postmortem period. The WS breasts with normal quality condition showed greater PM muscle weight and were more associated with fiber hypertrophy, compared to the no WS breasts with PSE-like condition (P 0.05), except for lightness and cooking loss. Higher αβ-crystallin and HSP90 expression levels were observed in PSE-like breast compared to normal quality breast (P 0.05). Therefore, HSP levels at the early postmortem period, especially those of αβ-crystallin and HSP90, were associated with the breast quality characteristics of PSE-like condition broilers.

Keywords

• heat shock proteins
• PSE-like condition
• white-striping feature
• muscle fiber
• chicken meat quality