A total of 40 adult healthy
native chickens (56 days) of both sexes (20 female and 20 male) were used.
After fixation in
10% buffered formalin solution, sections were prepared, using routine histological techniques.
Tissue samples were stained by
hematoxylin eosin and a variety of special techniques for
determination of type
s of connective tissue fibers.
The conventional histological study revealed
that except
the
endomysium
which
was similar in both muscles,
the other
intramuscular
connective tissues
layers varied between leg and breast muscles and affected by sex.
All the
c
onnective tissue
fibers observed in
the
all intramuscular connective tissues of both red and
white meats.
Tenderness in the leg muscle was higher than the breast muscle in native chickens,
as well as in males
than females.
Elastic fibers showed no
histolog
ical
difference
not only
among intramuscular connective tissues in both red and white
muscles
meats
but also between
males
and
females.
Key words:
Histology,
intramuscular connective tissues,
meat
,
native chicken
,
t
enderness