MEAT COLOUR CHARACTERISTICS OF DIFFERENT PRODUCTIVE TYPES DOMESTIC QUAILS

• Published in: Trakia journal of sciences Vol. 17; no. 1; pp. 42 - 48
• Main Author: Lukanov, H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Trakia University 01.03.2019
• Subjects: cielab; japanese quail; meat colour index; meat production; meat quality
• ISSN: 1312-1723; 1313-3551
• DOI: 10.15547/tjs.2019.01.007

The aim of the present study was to investigate the meat colour characteristics, using CIE L*a*b* colour description system, of quails from the two main production types reared in Europe: the intermediate heavy (dual-purpose) and heavy (meat-type). Quails were separated by gender in male and female subgroups, as follows: Am, Af, Dm, Df, Mm and Mf, where A group was dual-purpose and D and M groups were from heavy type. Meat colour characteristics of the breast (M. pectoralis superficialis), tenders (M. pectoralis profundus) and leg muscles (M. Iliotibialis lateralis pars postacetabularis) were evaluated on post mortem hour 24 in CIE L*a*b* colour description system. On the basis of L*, a* and b* values, the chroma (С*), colour index (CI) and meat colour index (MCI) were calculated. The lateral surface of M. p. superficialis was substantially darker in the light all-purpose type than in the heavy group М (р<0.001). The lowest lightness values (L*) were detected on M. p. superficialis facies medialis and the outer surface of M. p. profundus. The highest average meat redness was detected on M. p. superficialis facies medialis and the lowest - in thigh muscles (M. iliotibialis). Average yellowness (b*) of all studied muscles were positive in all groups of quails, with statistically significantly lower values in females vs males. The sex-related analysis showed that indices CI and MCI were considerably lower for both surfaces of M. p. superficialis in subgroup Am than in subgroups Dm and Mm (р<0.001). Similar differences were found out for the thigh muscle (р<0.05).