LAUSR

ABSTRACT 1. An experiment was carried out to validate techniques as predictive diagnostic tools for breast myopathies and to study the allometric growth of distinct parts of the body and meat quality of broilers. 2. Infrared thermography was performed at 35 d of age. The surface temperatures of breasts of 300 birds were recorded, followed by ultrasound imaging. 3. The birds were slaughtered and the cuts were made to weigh the body parts. Then, the breasts were evaluated as for the presence and severity of myopathies, from which nine treatments were established represented by the associated degrees of the myopathies white striping and wooden breast and breasts classified as normal. 4. There was no difference in surface temperatures and echogenicity values between normal breasts and breasts affected by myopathies. At 35 d of age few fillets classified as normal were found. 5. The breast showed late growth in relation to the body, regardless of characteristic lesions of myopathies. The most severe score of wooden breast affected meat quality variables.