Figure 8.

Illustration of the concept that correlations may be reversed if multiple factors are involved in a phenomenon. (A) Semitendinosus (ST) muscles containing greater proportions of white fibers have greater potential to produce good-quality meat [113], (B,C) but are also more sensitive to the negative effects of stress; (B,D) ST muscles containing a greater proportion of oxidative fiber types have less potential to produce good-quality meat but are less sensitive to preslaughter stress. In this example, if we compare low-stress and high-stress slaughter conditions, the correlation between fiber type composition and meat quality is reversed if the negative effects of stress outweigh the positive effects of a high proportion of white fibers (A,B). The composition of the muscle in terms of fiber type determines whether stress has a measurable impact on meat quality (C,D). High preslaughter stress will influence the postmortem metabolism of any muscle. Adapted from [61], with permission from INRAE, 2020.