Changes in Muscle Fiber Growth and the Emergence of Muscle Myopathies in Current Commercial Meat Birds

The rapid growth of broiler production efficiencies has been driven by selective breeding and optimized nutrition. However, these advancements have also introduced muscle myopathies such as wooden breast (WB), white striping (WS), and spaghetti meat (SM), which impair meat quality and cause major economic losses for the broiler industry. This review summarizes myopathy etiology, structural and physiological changes, detection methods, and mitigation strategies. It discusses factors such as accelerated muscle growth, poor circulation, oxidative stress, and metabolic imbalance, along with impacts on meat quality and industry economics. Current detection approaches range from visual and tactile assessments to advanced technologies like near-infrared spectroscopy and computer vision. Nutritional interventions have been evaluated as strategies to reduce the incidence of myopathies. The review emphasizes the need for further research to clarify underlying mechanisms and develop effective prevention and detection solutions.