Table 5 Microstructural characteristics of pectoralis major muscle of Pharaoh and Japanese quails slaughtered at 6 weeks of age.

From: The influence of genotype and sex on carcass composition, meat quality, digestive system morphometry and leg bone dimensions in Japanese quails (C. coturnix japonica)

Trait

Genotype

Sex

SEM

P values

Pharaoh quail

Japanese quail

Male

Female

G

S

G × S

Fiber cross-sectional area (µm2)

287.13b

348.51a

323.11

312.53

10.846

< 0.001

0.423

0.001

Fiber perimeter (µm)

71.15

68.20

69.30

70.05*

1.082

0.196

0.010

< 0.001

Fiber diameter H (µm)

18.89

19.38

19.49

18.78*

0.332

0.984

0.028

0.001

Fiber diameter V (µm)

21.06b

21.16a

21.06

19.67*

0.374

0.005

0.012

< 0.001

Perimysium thickness (µm)

11.54a

11.30b

13.17

9.67*

0.451

0.001

< 0.001

0.001

Endomysium thickness (µm)

1.81

1.77

1.87

1.71*

0.045

0.085

0.002

0.003

  1. A age; G genotype; S × G interaction between genotype and sex; SEM standard error of the mean. n = 20 for genotype or sex, 10 males and 10 females within a given genotype.
  2. a,bAre the means with different superscripts are statistically different between Pharaoh and Japanese quail P value < 0.05; * statistical differences between males and females P value < 0.05.
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