COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND ENVIRONMENT, LEXINGTON, KY, 40546
ASC-204
Avian Muscular System
Jacquie Jacob and Tony Pescatore, Animal Sciences
I f you raise poultry for meat, it
is always a good idea to have an
understanding of the muscular
American consumers, in gen-
eral, have a preference for white
chicken meat, and it is this part of
of the muscle being confined and
compressed is self-strangulation,
suffocation, and eventually death
system of poultry so you can better the chicken typically used in value- of the muscle.
understand any problems that may added products such as chicken The incidence of Green Muscle
occur and how to correct them. nuggets and chicken fingers. Disease increases with increas-
All animals have three types White meat is often considered ing market weight in broilers, and
of muscles: smooth, cardiac, and the healthier of the two types of more cases are reported in higher
skeletal. Smooth muscle is con- chicken meat. White chicken meat yielding crosses, especially the
trolled by the autonomic nervous is leaner, has more protein and less males. Increased broiler activity
system (ANS) and is found in the fat than dark meat. The higher fat induced by such factors as feed or
blood vessels, gizzard, intestines content of dark chicken meat is water outages, lighting programs,
and organs. Cardiac muscle is the what gives it more flavor. catching and live-haul, and even
specialized muscle of the heart. Green Muscle Disease, or Deep excessive noise, may result in an
Skeletal muscle is the type of Pectoral Myopathy, was first iden- increased incidence of Green Mus-
muscle responsible for the shape of tified in commercial turkey pro- cle Disease. The increased activity
birds and for voluntary movement. duction and involves the death of associated with free-range broiler
The poultry meat you eat is skeletal the breast tenderloin but does not production, especially if there are
muscle. cause the death of the chicken. The predators in the area, has resulted
The breast meat of chicken is dead tenderloins begin to decay in an increase incidence of Green
frequently referred to as white resulting in the appearance of a Muscle Disease in this industry.
meat. White meat is white because yellowish-green color. The tender-
of the minimal activity of these loin (pectoralis minor) is deep in
Converting Muscle
muscles. Since chickens do not the breast and if the carcass is sold to Meat
fly, breast muscles are not used whole the problem typically goes Once poultry are slaughtered,
as often as they would if chickens unnoticed. It is only discovered plucked, and gutted there are
could fly. The thigh and leg meat when the roasted chicken is carved changes the muscles need to go
are typically referred to as “dark for dinner. through to become “meat.” After
meat.” Dark meat is dark because Green Muscle Disease is be- slaughter, the heart is no longer
the muscles are used for sustained lieved to result from vigorous pumping and supplying oxygen to
activity—in the case of a chicken, activity of breast muscles (pec- the muscles. With the decline in
chiefly walking. The higher activity toralis major and minor). During blood supply, lactic acid starts to
of leg muscles increases their need vigorous activity, muscles normally accumulate in the muscle and the
for oxygen. The darker color of swell with increased blood flow to pH declines (i.e., becomes more
more active muscles comes from a supply the oxygen and nutrients
chemical compound in the muscle needed by the muscles. Compared A bit of trivia: Does the
called myoglobin, which is impor- to other muscles, the tenderloins
wing have white or dark
tant for oxygen transport. Other have a more rigid muscle cover and
species of poultry capable of flight are confined to a tight space within meat? Chicken wings,
(such as ducks, and geese) have the body such that they cannot like the breast, are white
dark meat throughout (i.e., the expand to accommodate this in- meat.
breast, thigh and drumstick). creased blood flow. The net result
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EXTENSION
Figure 1. Avian muscular system.
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture
acidic). The rate of the pH decline slaughter, the meat will be dark, resulting in a stiffness of the body.
and the final point that it reaches firm, and dry. On the other hand, if At this state the muscle is tempo-
are important factors affecting the pH drops too quickly immedi- rarily tough. After a period of time
meat quality and color. The pH ately after slaughter, the condition the muscle becomes more flex-
typically needs to decline from of Pale Soft and Exudative (PSE) ible again. It is for this reason that
the normal of 7 to 5.8. If the pH meat will result. poultry are typically aged rather
does not drop low enough, primar- As is commonly observed after than eaten immediately after being
ily due to excess activity prior to death, rigor mortis soon sets in processed.
Educational programs of Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts
of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, M. Scott Smith, Director, Land Grant Programs, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Lex-
ington, and Kentucky State University, Frankfort. Copyright © 2013 for materials developed by University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension. This publication may be reproduced in portions or its entirety for
educational or nonprofit purposes only. Permitted users shall give credit to the author(s) and include this copyright notice. Publications are also available on the World Wide Web at www.ca.uky.edu.
Issued 11-2013
