Description

The Control of Fat and Lean Deposition is a collection of papers dealing with the methods of influencing fat and lean deposition in whole animals, such as the use of the immune response, the use of exogenously applied materials, transgenesis, or the diet itself. The papers also consider the results of fat manipulation and lean deposition on meat quality to achieve suitabilty for human consumption. Some papers review the hormonal regulation of muscle protein synthesis, degradation, and cell growth, noting that muscle protein turnover involves the regulation of cellular growth and metabolism of the whole body. Another paper investigates the surge in lipid accumulation during fattening, as well as the correlation between changes in flux or enzyme activities in growing animals to changes in lipid accretion. One paper examines the responsiveness of prenatal development of key tissues, such as skeletal tissue and adipose, to nongenetic influences. The paper also analyzes how such responsiveness influence the rate and composition of postnatal growth. Another paper discusses the observation that reducing fat content especially on the muscle tissue itself can adversely affect the eating quality and tenderness of meat. The collection is suitable for veterinarians, livestock growers, and researchers engaged in food processing and preservation.