Effects of physical activities on biochemical and biomechanical properties of tendons in two commercial types of chickens.

The aim of our experiment was to study the effects of physical activities on the biochemical and biomechanical properties of tendons in 12 standard (S) broilers and 12 Label Rouge (LR) chickens. In the two types of birds no differences were found between control and active birds for body weights. Gastrocnemius (Gas) tendon and Pectoralis minor (Pm) tendons were harvested and processed for passive stretch tests prior to cooking or not.

Biochemical and biomechanical properties of tendons in two commercial types of chickens.

The quality of the attachment of meat to bone is often reported to be insufficient by more and more poultry's consumers. This is particularly true for thigh meat in broilers. The aim of this study was to compare muscle to bone attachment (namely, tendons) from a biomechanical and a biochemical point of view in 50 standard (S) and 50 Label Rouge (LR) chickens.

High postmortem temperature in muscle has very similar consequences in two turkey genetic lines.

In the present study, we artificially generated pale, soft, exudative turkey meat by holding muscles immediately after death at 40 degrees C for 6 h. Two genetic types (BUT9 and Label) were compared. When muscles were kept at 40 degrees C, BUT9 muscles exhibited higher lightness values than Label muscles.

Serum sphinganine and the sphinganine to sphingosine ratio as a biomarker of dietary fumonisins during chronic exposure in ducks.

Sphinganine concentration (Sa) and sphinganine to sphingosine ratio (Sa/So) are sensitive biomarkers of fumonisin B1 (FB1) exposure in animals and have been proposed to reveal FB1 exposure in humans. They correlate with liver and kidney toxicity and often precede signs of toxicity. However, the use of Sa and Sa/So is confusing during chronic exposure.

Effects of fumonisins on liver and kidney sphinganine and the sphinganine to sphingosine ratio during chronic exposure in ducks.

Sa and the Sa/So ratio are very sensitive biomarkers of exposure to fumonisins in several species. We previously demonstrated that increases in Sa and in the Sa/So ratio in serum were less pronounced when ducks ingested fumonisins for more than 7 weeks than when animals were exposed for only 1-2 weeks [S.T.