Determinação de cálcio em diferentes tecidos de aves classificadas como wooden breast e white striping comparados com tecidos de aves sem alterações (normais)

Abstract

The poultry sector has experienced exponential growth in recent decades. This selection for productivity has resulted in an increase in muscular myopathies such as White Striping (WS) and Wooden Breast (WB). This study investigated the systemic impacts of these myopathies on the chemical and structural composition of the skin, muscle, and bones of broiler chickens, focusing on the quantification of collagen and calcium. The work comparatively evaluated normal, WS, and WB birds, using proximal composition analyses and collagen and calcium contents in the skin, Pectoralis major muscle, and fibula bone. Muscle results confirmed the literature, showing a significant increase in collagen and a reduction in proteins in the muscle of WS and WB carcasses, indicating tissue fibrosis, although expressive liposis was not observed. In less-studied tissues, the skin of WB birds presented a lower content of collagen and moisture, suggesting cutaneous fragility and greater susceptibility to ruptures during industrial processing. In the bones, calcium concentration remained stable across all groups. Mineral metabolism was shown to be particularly affected by the WB myopathy, which promoted a calcium redistribution: a significant increase in the muscle (1.12 mg%), suggesting pathological calcification, and an expressive reduction in the skin. The WS myopathy, in turn, demonstrated a more discreet effect on calcium homeostasis. In summary, the work demonstrates that pectoral myopathies have relevant systemic consequences, affecting the integrity of collagen in the skin, muscle, and bones, and that Wooden Breast is directly associated with muscular calcification, broadening the knowledge about the impacts of these anomalies on the poultry production chain.