it y, and convexity indicates isolated disconnected structures (Lim
& Barigou, 2004). A low FI signifies a better-connected solid lattices
while a high FI indicates a more disconnected solid structure. Our
results show a great variability of this index.
With regards to breed, Podolian is a rustic breed with low intramuscular
fat content as reported by Marino et al. (2006) whilst the
Charolaise is a breed specialized in meat production with a higher
visual appearance of intramuscular fat. The results of lCT analysis
show that the fat content, which is expressed as POV, was higher
(P < 0.01) in Charolaise breed, therefore reflecting the characteristics
of this breed. The meat from the Charolaise breed has higher
SS (P < 0.01) values than Podolian. SS is the average distant between
the fat structures in the samples, the higher the value, the
more distant are the fat structures from one another. This result
suggests that the fat fleck in Charolaise is finely distributed.
Table 3 report the Pearson correlation coefficients for fat content
and all lCT parameters in Charolaise and Podolian breed. It
can be noted from these tables that fat content and POV are negatively
correlated with OSVR (P < 0.001), FI (P < 0.001) and SS
(P < 0.01) in both breeds, this indicates that the meats with higher
content of fat have smaller flecks of fat that are closer to each other
and with better connected lattices. The POV is not correlated with
SMI and DA.information
on the fat content and on its spatial distribution inside
the sample in order to obtain a more accurate description of meat
quality and its expected palatability.