Relationship between Myosin Isoforms and Meat Quality Traits in Pig Semitendinosus Neuromuscular Compartments

The aim was to determine the relationship between muscle structure and meat quality traits in neuromuscular compartments (NMCs: R1, R2, R3, R4) of pig semitendinosus muscle. Barrows from the INTA-MGC genetic line (Argentina) were slaughtered at 100 kg body weight. In each NMC the following parameters were determined: the fibre types I, IIA, IIX and IIB by immunohistochemistry, the fibre cross sectional area (FCSA), the pH of meat after 24 h post-mortem ($pH_{24}$), instrumental meat tenderness (WB) and colour ($L^*$, $a^*$, $b^*$). There were significant differences in the following: $L^*$ (R1 = R4R4>R2 = R3), $b^*$ (R1 = R4R1 = R3 = R4), $pH_{24}$ (R1 = R4>R2 = R3). The relative percentages of FCSA were as follows: I (R4>R1>R3>R2), IIA (R1>R4>R3>R2), IIX (R1 = R2 = R3 = R4) and IIB (R2>R3>R1>R4). The correlation values were statistically significant between IIB and WB (R1 and R4, $r_s$ = 0.66), (R2 and R3 $r_s$ = 0.74), IIB and $L^*$ (R1 and R4 $r_s$ = 0.84), IIX and $L^*$ without discriminating NMCs. Our data suggest that the NMC where the sampling takes place is important for determining meat quality traits because of the heterogeneity of the whole muscle.