Effects of age and sex on the structural, chemical and technological characteristics of mule duck meat.

1. The aim of the study was to analyse the effect of age and sex on the chemical, structural and technological characteristics of mule duck meat. 2.

Differential channelling of liver lipids in relation to susceptibility to hepatic steatosis in the goose.

In response to overfeeding for the production of "foie gras," the Poland goose differs from the Landes goose by a lesser susceptibility to hepatic steatosis, resulting in a lower accumulation of hepatic triacylglycerol (TG), together with a greater exportation of hepatic phospholipid (PL) in very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) and high density lipoproteins (HDL) (Fournier et al., 1997). A study was designed 1) to compare the liver composition in overfed and nonoverfed geese of the two breeds of geese and 2) to determine whether the differential channelling of lipids in response to overfeeding is reflected in the PL and fatty acid profiles of the different hepatic lipids, whether stored or secreted.

Effect of sex on growth, technological and organoleptic characteristics of the Muscovy duck breast muscle.

1. The aim of our study was to analyse the consequences of sexual dimorphism on muscular growth and on technological and organoleptic characteristics of breast muscle. Ten males and 10 females of the R51 line (Grimaud) were weighed every fortnight, from 1-d-old to 15 weeks of age, and then slaughtered.

Effects of selection, over three and four generations, on meat yield and fatness in Muscovy ducks.

1. Two experiments were undertaken to analyse the effects of selection for lowering carcase fatness and improving meat yield of Muscovy ducks. The control generation N and the selected generations N + 3 and N + 4 of the same heavy line (Grimaud) were reared under similar conditions.

Hybrid ducks overfed with boiled corn develop an acute hepatic steatosis with decreased choline and polyunsaturated fatty acid level in phospholipids.

Hepatic and plasma lipid changes were investigated in hybrid ducks after steatosis was induced by overfeeding. Fourteen hybrid ducks were force-fed (11 kg corn in 13 days). The liver of the overfed ducks weighed ten times more than that of controls (695 vs 69 g).