MEAT COLOUR CHARACTERISTICS OF DIFFERENT PRODUCTIVE TYPES DOMESTIC QUAILS

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