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The different kind of muscle fibre types in the pig. Consequences on meat production

Abstract

Skeletal muscle is mainly composed of muscle fibres generally classified according to their speed of contraction and/or their energetic metabolism. Muscle fibres mainly differentiate during embryonic, foetal and precocious postnatal life. A high percentage of slow twitch fibres and fibres of small cross sectional area appear to be good for the technological and organoleptic characteristics of the meat. Concerning growth performance, the total number of muscle fibres, a characteristic definitely fixed before birth, and the amount of DNA are the main factors determining the muscular growth potential. The cross sectional growth of the fibres may be related to muscle mass, when the total number of muscle fibres is taken into account. In conclusion, selecting for a high number of fibres and a high percentage of slow twitch fibres may be a way to improve meat production in terms of quantity and quality.

Authors


L. LEFAUCHEUR

lefaucheur@inra.fr

Affiliation : INRA Station de Recherches porcines, Saint-Gilles 35590 L’Hermitage

Country : France

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