Muscle development and growth: potential implications for flesh quality in fish

Growth in fish involves the recruitment and hypertrophy of muscle fibres. Muscle recruitment is particularly important in species that reach a large ultimate body size. The number of muscle fibres recruited to reach a particular girth varies between families and strains and is influenced by environmental factors including diet, exercise, light and temperature regimes. The resulting variation in muscle cellularity and associated changes in connective tissue matrix are thought to be important determinants of texture and other flesh quality characteristics. The state of knowledge about muscle development and growth is reviewed and potential practical applications of the research to flesh quality issues are discussed.