The effect of maternal undernutrition on muscle fibre type in the newborn lamb

Abstract

Muscle fibre type can influence meat quality (Maltinet al1997). Muscle fibre formation occurs during gestation and in the sheep the total number of fibres in a muscle is essentially fixed at birth. (Ashmereet al1972). Postnatal growth of muscle is entirely due to elongation and widening of the existing muscle fibres. Therefore the gestational period is important in the long-term growth potential of the animal. By investigating changes in muscle fibre type, the aim of this study was to test the general hypothesis that the poor carcass quality sometimes seen in ruminant animals may be due to poor nutrition at strategic time points during the animal’s development. As agricultural practices continue to become more extensive, variation in the nutrient supply to the animal is becoming more common. Therefore it is important to understand the effect of any changes in nutrient supply to the mother, during gestation on the subsequent muscle development of the fetus and ultimately the effects on meat quality.