Morphofunctional characteristics of rib eye and biceps femoral muscle of bulls of different genotypes
The Kalmyk cattle breed is one of the oldest Russian beef breeds, which is characterized by high adaptive properties, rapid growth, high beef productivity and excellent quality indicators of meat products. The diameter of muscle fibers, the size of the bundles, the size of the connective tissue layers are of great importance in the formation of meat quality, therefore, with the help of morphological analysis, we examined the muscle tissue of 18-month-old bulls of different genotypes. According to the results of the study, it was revealed that the average diameter of muscle fibers in the biceps femoral muscle and rib eye in crossbred bulls of the newly created "Aduchi" type (crossbreeds of Aberdeen-Angus×Kalmyk breeds) was higher that in purebred Kalmyk animals. The thickness of the endomysium in the muscles of the studied animals was in the range of 6-13 microns and, as the results show, had practically no differences. Among the cellular elements of the endomysium, endotheliocytes predominated, the proportion of which was approximately 80%. In animals of the new type "Aduchi", the collagen content of type 1 was higher. The content of adipose tissue in the muscles of crossbred animals slightly exceeded analogues. The data obtained show patterns of structural and functional characteristics of bovine muscle tissue, as well as the amplitude of inbreeding variability of the muscle tissue of the bulls.