Influence of Porcine Muscle Structure on Its Lipid Accumulation During Growth

Abstract

SUMMARY— To determine the influence of fascicular organization and disposition of muscle stroma on the deposition of interfascicular' lipids, six muscles representing two contrasting structural types were selected from each of five littermate pigs exsanguinated at different stages of growth. Looseness of fascicular organization, as determined subjectively by microscopic examination, generally paralleled the quantity of interfascicular lipid as determined by chemical analysis. In addition, the tendency for percentage of this lipid to increase with growth and maturity was generally more evident in the loosely organized muscles of the trunk and proximal segments of the forelimb than in the tightly bound, consolidated, fusiform muscles nearer the extremities.