The increasing production potential of birds is correlated with a lower health and immune potential, resulting in the appearance of numerous meat quality defects. The greatest concern for gallinaceous poultry (chickens and turkeys) is PSE meat, which is characterized by light colour, soft texture and a reduced water-binding capacity. The aim of the study was to compare plasma corticosterone concentration, muscle fibre diameter, and the apoptotic markers between normal and pale, soft, exudative (PSE) turkey breast muscles. The results show, that the PSE group is characterized by a significantly higher plasma corticosterone concentration and a significantly greater muscle fibre diameter at 30 min post mortem compared to the normal group. The time of refrigerated storage (4 degrees C) of meat contributes significantly to reducing muscle fibre diameter in the PSE group at 24 h post mortem compared to 30 min post mortem. Additionally, the results obtain showed that the caspase-3 activity at 30 min post mortem increased significantly in the turkey breast muscles of PSE compared with the normal group. Moreover, the PSE group demonstrated the higher apoptotic potential measured in the breast muscle of turkey compared with the normal group. It is stated from the obtained results that the incidence of PSE meat in turkeys may be associated with their higher susceptibility to stress factors and stress-induced pathological states.
