Selecting broilers for low or high abdominal fat: Distribution of carcass fat and quality of meat

1. Carcass fat distribution and meat quality were studied in 52‐d‐old cockerels of the 4th generation of selection for low ('lean') or high ('fat') abdominal fat content.

2. Compared with lean birds, there was four times more abdominal fat, 2.8 times more subcutaneous fat and 1.5 times more fat deposited between the leg muscles in fat birds. Chemical estimation of the fat content of thigh muscle, however, revealed no difference between these two lines.

3. No clear differences were observed for cooking losses, flavour and juiciness, while tenderness appeared to be a little higher in fat birds.

4. These results suggest that breeding for a low abdominal fat depot is advantageous in terms of carcass quality.