Med. Weter. 74, (6), 387-391, 2018
full text

| MAGDALENA GÓRSKA, DOROTA WOJTYSIAK |
| Comparison of plasma corticosterone concentration,
muscle fibre diameter, and apoptotic markers
between normal and pale, soft, exudative (PSE)
turkey breast muscles |
| The increasing production potential of birds is correlated with a lower health and immune potential, resulting
in the appearance of numerous meat quality defects. The greatest concern for gallinaceous poultry (chickens
and turkeys) is PSE meat, which is characterized by light colour, soft texture and a reduced water-binding
capacity. The aim of the study was to compare plasma corticosterone concentration, muscle fibre diameter,
and the apoptotic markers between normal and pale, soft, exudative (PSE) turkey breast muscles. The results
show, that the PSE group is characterized by a significantly higher plasma corticosterone concentration and
a significantly greater muscle fibre diameter at 30 min post mortem compared to the normal group. The time
of refrigerated storage (4°C) of meat contributes significantly to reducing muscle fibre diameter in the PSE
group at 24 h post mortem compared to 30 min post mortem. Additionally, the results obtain showed that the
caspase-3 activity at 30 min post mortem increased significantly in the turkey breast muscles of PSE compared
with the normal group. Moreover, the PSE group demonstrated the higher apoptotic potential measured in
the breast muscle of turkey compared with the normal group. It is stated from the obtained results that the
incidence of PSE meat in turkeys may be associated with their higher susceptibility to stress factors and stressinduced
pathological states. |
| Key words: corticosterone, muscle fibres, capase-3, apoptosis, PSE turkey meat |