ABSTRACT
Over the past 50 years, the poultry industry has achieved tremendous advancements in broiler growth rate through intense genetic selection and improvements in bird nutrition and management. Increasing consumer demands for poultry products and the corresponding shifts in how broiler meat is marketed have put a premium on breast muscle development and yield in modern broilers. Unfortunately, along with the gains in live production traits and breast meat yield have come increased problems with breast meat quality. The increasing occurrence of growth-related myopathies in the pectoralis major of modern broilers has led to significant problems with breast meat abnormalities and defects that cost the industry millions of dollars annually.
