Broiler quality needs a connected view from live bird to post-mortem conversion

A recent review of broiler-meat quality brings together areas that operational practice often treats separately: genetics, feeding, health, environment, pre-slaughter handling and post-mortem conversion. It places muscle energy metabolism at slaughter at the centre of that chain. Glycogen reserves, mitochondrial function, oxidative balance, calcium regulation and proteolytic systems affect the rate of pH decline and, in turn, colour, water-holding capacity, texture, tenderness, flavour and quality defects.