Carcass Characteristics, Physicochemical Properties, and Texture and Microstructure of the Meat and Internal Organs of Carrier and King Pigeons

Abstract

Pigeons have been the subject of research in the past, but the knowledge gained is incomplete and must be extended. The aim of the study was to provide information about differences in carcass weight and measurements, carcass composition, proximate chemical composition, acidity, electrical conductivity, color attributes, the texture, rheological properties and microstructure of the meat, and some biometric characteristics of the digestive system in carrier and King pigeons, and also to determine if the two compared breeds meet the expectations of pigeon meat consumers to the same extent. The study involved 40 carcasses from carrier pigeons and King pigeons after three reproductive seasons. The chemical composition was determined by near-infrared transmission (NIT) spectroscopy, color coordinates according to CIELab, the texture according to Texture Profile Analysis (TPA) and Warner–Bratzler (WB) tests, and the rheological properties of meat according to the relaxation test. The compared pigeon groups differed significantly (p < 0.05) in carcass weight and measurements, carcass composition (except breast muscle percentage), chemical composition (except leg muscle collagen content) and electrical conductivity, lightness (L*), yellowness (b*), chroma (C*) and hue angle (h*), textural characteristics (except cohesiveness and Warner‒Bratzler shear force), rheological properties, microstructure of the pectoralis major muscle, as well as the total length of intestine and its segments, duodenal diameter, weight of proventriculus, gizzard, liver, heart, and spleen. The sex of the birds had a significant (p < 0.05) effect on the carcass weight, chest circumference, carcass neck percentage, breast muscle collagen content, and caeca length. The genotype by sex interaction was significant (p < 0.05) for fat content, collagen content, hardness, sum of elastic moduli and sum of viscous moduli of the pectoralis major muscle, protein and collagen content of leg muscles, duodenal and caecal length, jejunal and ileal diameter, and spleen weight. The obtained results show a significant effect of genetic origin and sex on the nutritive and technological value of the meat, and on the digestive system development of the pigeons.

A Comprehensive Study of the Quality of Fat-Tailed Sheep Carcasses in Greece

“…However, increased muscle fibers’ diameter is important to the meat production industry, since it has been correlated with higher meat yield and more tender meat [ 40 ]. Relevant studies on pigs, beef and avian species have been published recently [ 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 ]; to our knowledge, no relevant studies on sheep are available. Results of the present study show a tendency for increased diameter of muscle fibers in heavier carcasses.…”

Monitoring the variations in physicochemical characteristics of squab meat during the braising cooking process

“…Braised squab, a famous Cantonese dish, has a crisp taste outside and tender texture inside. The history of squab consumption could trace back to ancient Egypt and subsequently eating squabs became widespread in Europe and Asia (Kokoszynski et al., 2020 ). Nowadays, China is the largest producer of squab, which has occupied nearly 80% of global production, reaching 680 million squabs.…”

Comparative Genome and Transcriptome Integration Studies Reveal the Mechanism of Pectoral Muscle Development and Function in Pigeons

“…Archaeological evidence indicates that pigeons were historically consumed as food for thousands of years (Blasco et al, 2014) and represented an important protein source for humans. In Europe, North America, and Asia, squab is considered a delicacy and is very popular among consumers (Kokoszyński et al, 2020). The pigeon industry gradually emerged in China during the early 1970s.…”

“…Using genomics and transcriptomics, researchers have revealed that the CASK gene is the key gene involved in the homing ability of carrier pigeons (Gazda et al, 2018). The relationship between candidate gene polymorphisms and meat quality traits has also been studied (Ye et al, 2016;Mao et al, 2018;Dong et al, 2019), and the physical and chemical characteristics of pigeon meat were previously reported (Kokoszyński et al, 2020). Many studies have found that the MSTN gene is related to muscle development in cattle (Berry et al, 2002;Miretti et al, 2013), pigs (Stinckens et al, 2008;Li et al, 2020), chickens (Guernec et al, 2004;Dushyanth et al, 2016), and sheep (Grochowska et al, 2019).…”

“…The genetic mechanism of body weight and size traits in pigs (Gusev et al, 2016), horses (Srikanth et al, 2019), and ducks (Wang L. et al, 2017) was revealed using multi-omics; however, few genome-wide studies have been conducted on gene mapping of pigeon growth traits, particularly the development of pectoral muscles. Pigeon breast muscle accounted for approximately 30% of the slaughter weight (Kokoszyński et al, 2020). Moreover, the growth and development of breast muscle is extremely important for meat performance and the flying ability of pigeons.…”