<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> Current intensive pig meat production conditions impose the need to expand the knowledge about skeletal muscle characteristics, with the aim to improve both production of pig lean meat and meat quality. Histological and biochemical characteristics of the muscle highly infl uence the quality of meat, with muscle fi ber number, size and fi ber type distribution being important constituents. The objective of this study was to examine the structure of m. semitendinosus of piglets at birth, and slaughter pigs at the end of fattening. Total muscle fi ber number was 350 x 103 in newborn piglets and increased up to nearly 900 x 103 in slaughter pigs. At birth, the muscle consisted of 3.76% primary fi bers and 96.24% secondary fi bers. At slaughter, slow-twitch oxidative fi bers represented 21% of the total muscle fi ber number, fast-twitch oxidative fi bers represented 28 % while the majority of fi bers (52%) in m. semitendinosus were of fast twitch glycolitic type. Obtained results indicate that postnatal muscle growth is accomplished mainly by muscle fi ber hypertrophy.</abstract>

Current intensive pig meat production conditions impose the need to expand the knowledge about skeletal muscle characteristics, with the aim to improve both production of pig lean meat and meat quality. Histological and biochemical characteristics of the muscle highly infl uence the quality of meat, with muscle fi ber number, size and fi ber type distribution being important constituents. The objective of this study was to examine the structure of m. semitendinosus of piglets at birth, and slaughter pigs at the end of fattening. Total muscle fi ber number was 350 x 103 in newborn piglets and increased up to nearly 900 x 103 in slaughter pigs. At birth, the muscle consisted of 3.76% primary fi bers and 96.24% secondary fi bers. At slaughter, slow-twitch oxidative fi bers represented 21% of the total muscle fi ber number, fast-twitch oxidative fi bers represented 28 % while the majority of fi bers (52%) in m. semitendinosus were of fast twitch glycolitic type. Obtained results indicate that postnatal muscle growth is accomplished mainly by muscle fi ber hypertrophy.

Histological and Histochemical Properties of M. Semitendinosus in German Landrace Pigs at Birth and Market Weight/Histološke I Histohemijske Osobine M. Semitendinosus-A Svinja Rase Nemački Landras Na Rođenju I Na Završetku Tova

University of Belgrade, Faculty of Agriculture, Zemun-Belgrade, Department of Animal Science, Nemanjina 6, 11080 Zemun-Belgrade, Serbia

University of Belgrade, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Anatomy, Bulevar Oslobođenja 18, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia

Military Medical Academy, Crnotravska 17, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia

Acta Veterinaria

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Current intensive pig meat production conditions impose the need to expand the knowledge about skeletal muscle characteristics, with the aim to improve both...

Histological and Histochemical Properties of M. Semitendinosus in German Landrace Pigs at Birth and Market Weight/Histološke I Histohemijske Osobine M. Semitendinosus-A Svinja Rase Nemački Landras Na Rođenju I Na Završetku Tova

Published Online: Oct 03, 2014

Page range: 319 - 326

Received: Jan 30, 2014

Accepted: Apr 15, 2014

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/acve-2014-0030

Keywords
age, fiber types, muscle fiber, pig

© by Adamović Ivana

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Histological and Histochemical Properties of M. Semitendinosus in German Landrace Pigs at Birth and Market Weight/Histološke I Histohemijske Osobine M. Semitendinosus-A Svinja Rase Nemački Landras Na Rođenju I Na Završetku Tova

Published Online: Oct 03, 2014

Page range: 319 - 326

Received: Jan 30, 2014

Accepted: Apr 15, 2014

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/acve-2014-0030

Keywordsage, fiber types, muscle fiber, pig

© by Adamović Ivana

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
age, fiber types, muscle fiber, pig