Research Note: Simultaneous Histochemical Determination of Three Fiber Types in Single Sections of Broiler Skeletal Muscles

A staining procedure used for simultaneously determining three different fiber types in single sections of bovine, porcine, or ovine skeletal muscle was modified for use with broiler skeletal muscle. The modification involved acid-preincubation of muscle sections at a pH of 4.15 followed by staining for reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) tetrazolium reductase enzyme and for acid-stable myosin-adenosine triphosphatase enzyme activity, respectively. Four broiler muscles were selected for fiber-type determination of fast (alpha), slow (beta), red, aerobic (R), or white, anaerobic (W) properties. The anterior latissimus dorsi muscle was composed almost entirely of beta-R fibers while the pectoralis superficialis muscle was composed almost entirely of alpha-W fibers. The sartorius and posterior latissimus dorsi muscles were much more heterogeneous in fiber-type distribution, exhibiting all three types of fibers (alpha-W, alpha-R, and beta-R).