Well-developed and functional muscle tissues are a prerequisite for healthy meat-producing animals. Good muscle development leads to improved meat quality. Hence modern breeds of livestock animal have been selectively bred for better conformation, increased muscle size and increased muscle-to-bone ratio. This book describes all aspects of muscle development research, and contains contributions from leading research groups around the world.
Number and size of muscle fibres in relation to meat production; The effect of growth and exercise on muscle characteristics in relation to meat quality; Nutrition, hormone receptor expression, and gene interactions; The impact of minerals and micronutrients on growth control; Local and Systemic Regulation of Muscle Growth; Proteolytic systems and the regulation of muscle remodeling and breakdown; Genome Analysis of QTL for Muscle Tissue Development and Meat Quality; Functional genomics and proteomics in relation to muscle tissue; Genetic Control of Intramuscular Fat Accretion; Post-mortem muscle proteolysis and meat tenderness; Water holding capacity of meat