Carcass characteristics, chemical composition, physicochemical properties, texture, and microstructure of meat from spent Pekin ducks

The aim of the study was to compare P33 (Polish Pekin), P8 (Danish Pekin), and LsA (English Pekin) ducks after 2 reproductive seasons for carcass composition and some meat quality traits. A total of 48 duck carcasses (8 male carcasses and 8 female carcasses of each genotype) were studied. Whole carcasses were dissected, and pH and electrical conductivity of the breast and leg muscles were determined 24 h postmortem. After dissection, breast and leg muscles were sampled to determine proximate composition, some minerals, and physicochemical properties. Breast muscles were also analyzed for textural characteristics, microstructural characteristics, and rheological properties. At 112 wk of age, genotype and sex were found to have no significant effect on carcass weight and percentage of carcass components. The genotype of the birds had a significant effect on the water and fat content in the pectoral and leg muscles, as well as protein and collagen in the leg muscles. The origin of the ducks had a significant impact on the magnesium content in pectoral muscles and Warner–Bratzler shear force pectoralis muscle major, as well as the electrical conductivity of the leg muscles. The differences in duck genotype had a significant effect on the sum of elastic moduli, fiber cross-sectional area, fiber perimeter, and vertical fiber diameter of pectoralis major muscle. Regardless of the genetic origin, breast muscles from 112-week-old males had a lower fat content, and male leg muscles contained more water and protein and less fat and collagen than the female muscles. The genotype by sex interaction was significant for the content of breast muscles, skin with subcutaneous fat, and neck percentage and for the water and fat content in breast and leg muscles.