Association of Serum Glucose, Serotonin, Aspartate Aminotransferase, and Calcium Levels with Meat Quality and Palatability Characteristics of Broiler Pectoralis Major Muscle

Abstract

This study investigated the correlations between apoptosis-related blood biochemical parameters measured at exsanguination and the meat and sensory quality characteristics of broiler pectoralis major muscle. The concentration of serotonin showed a positive correlation with aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activity (p < 0.001) and a negative correlation with calcium content (p < 0.01). All serum parameters showed relationships with muscle pH at 15 min and/or 24 h postmortem (p < 0.05). Serum AST activity, which had a negative correlation with calcium content (p < 0.01), was positively related with muscle pH and negatively correlated with Warner–Bratzler shear force values (WBS, p < 0.05). Principal component analysis results revealed the associations between AST activity and meat quality traits, including pH24h, lightness, and WBS. Furthermore, cooked breast with higher AST activity and lower calcium level tended to exhibit higher scores of tenderness and overall acceptability than that with lower AST activity and higher calcium level (p < 0.05).