Muscle growth and flesh quality in Atlantic halibut, with particular reference to the season of harvesting

It is proposed to gain basic knowledge on muscle fibre recruitment and the normal development of the collagen compartment of the connective tissue matrix in Atlantic halibut. Genes that can be used as phenotypic markers of tissue stem cells for muscle, bo ne, connective tissue and adipocytes will be cloned and sequenced as a resource for future studies on growth and flesh quality in halibut. Peptide antigens will be designed to produce halibut-specific polyclonal antibodies for use as markers of myogenic p rogenitor cells and fibroblasts. The humber of myogenic progenitor cells, the number and size of muscle fibers will be determined. This will provide tools for studying the effects of genetics and environmental factors on early development as well as being a first step in the development of high throughput methods for screening broodstock for desirable muscle growth and flesh quality traits. In connection a PhD student will determine the concentration of collagen, pyridinoline cross-li nks and proteolytic enzyme activites (cathepsins, B. L and H, collagenase) at 6 -week intervals in 2-sea winter fish. Changes in muscle structure due to growth and season will be related to product quality through measurements of pH, water holding capacit y, texture, chemical composition and NIR spectroscopy.