Describing the relationships among meat quality traits in domestic turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) populations

Heather M Hiscock; Emily M Leishman; Ryley J Vanderhout; Sarah M Adams; Jeff Mohr; Benjamin J Wood; Christine F Baes; Shai Barbut

doi:10.1016/j.psj.2022.102055

Describing the relationships among meat quality traits in domestic turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) populations

Poult Sci. 2022 Oct;101(10):102055. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2022.102055. Epub 2022 Jul 15.

Authors

Heather M Hiscock¹, Emily M Leishman², Ryley J Vanderhout², Sarah M Adams², Jeff Mohr³, Benjamin J Wood⁴, Christine F Baes⁵, Shai Barbut⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada.
² Centre for the Genetic Improvement of Livestock, Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada.
³ Hybrid Turkeys, Kitchener, Ontario N2K 3S2, Canada.
⁴ Centre for the Genetic Improvement of Livestock, Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada; Hybrid Turkeys, Kitchener, Ontario N2K 3S2, Canada; School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland 4343, Australia.
⁵ Centre for the Genetic Improvement of Livestock, Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada; Institute of Genetics, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern 3001, Switzerland.
⁶ Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada. Electronic address: sbarbut@uoguelph.ca.

Abstract

The presence of meat quality defects is increasing in the turkey industry. While the main strategy for mitigating these issues is through improved housing, management, and slaughter conditions, it may be possible to incorporate meat quality into a turkey breeding strategy with the intent to improve meat quality. Before this can occur, it is important to describe the current state of turkey meat quality as well as the correlations among the different meat quality traits and important production traits. The main objective of the present study was to provide a descriptive analysis of 8 different meat quality traits for turkey breast meat from 3 different purebred lines (A, B, and C), and their correlation with a selection of production traits. Using a total of 7,781 images, the breast meat (N = 590-3,892 birds depending on trait) was evaluated at 24 h postmortem for color (L*, a*, b*), pH, and physiochemical characteristics (drip loss, cooking loss, shear force). Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and Pearson correlations were computed to describe the relationships among traits within each genetic line. A one-factor ANOVA and post hoc t-test were conducted for each trait and between each of the genetic lines. We found significant differences between genetic lines for some color traits (L* and a*), pH_initial, drip loss, and cooking loss. The lightest line in weight (line B) had meat that was the lightest (L*) in color. The heaviest line (line C) had meat that was less red (a*) with a higher pH_initial and greater cooking loss. Unfavorable correlations between production traits and meat quality were also found for each of the genetic lines where increases in production (e.g., body weight, growth rate) resulted in meat that was lighter and redder in color and in some cases (line B and C), with an increased moisture loss. The results of this study provide an important benchmark for turkey meat quality in purebred lines and provide an updated account of the relationships between key production traits and meat quality. Although the magnitude of these correlations is low, their cumulative effect on meat quality can be more significant especially with continued selection pressure on growth and yield.

Keywords: color; cooking loss; drip loss; genetics; pH.

MeSH terms

Animals
Chickens*
Cooking
Meat*
Phenotype
Turkeys / genetics