# Shaping Goose Meat Quality: The Role of Genotype and Soy-Free Diets
## 4 Discussion  
The results of this study confirm the significant role of both genetic factors and the feeding system in shaping the quality of goose meat, particularly in terms of the pH value, colour parameters, water-holding capacity, texture, and sensory traits. The use of Tapphorn \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Breast Meat** & **TE SBM** & **ET SBM** & **TE LPS** & **ET LPS** & \
\begin{tabular}{c} **SMB** \\ **Diet** \\ \end{tabular} &
\begin{tabular}{c} **LPS** \\ **Diet** \\ \end{tabular} & **SEM** \\ \hline Odour intensity & 5.3 & 5.5 & 4.9 & 4.3 & 5.4 & 4.6 & 0.2612 \\ \hline Flavor intensity & 4.9 & 4.8 & 3.9 & 5.3 & 4.6 & 4.8 & 0.2599 \\ \hline Tenderness & 4.2 & 3.9 & 3.5 & 4.9 & 4.1 & 4.2 & 0.2507 \\ \hline Juiciness & 4.2 & 4.1 & 4.1 & 5.4 & 4.2 & 4.7 & 0.2804 \\ \hline Overall acceptability & 5 & 4.8 & 3.6 & 4.6 & 4.9 & 4.1 & 0.2732 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}  
No statistically significant differences were found for any sensory attributes (\(p\) > 0.05).  
\end{table} 
Table 6: Means of the genetic groups and dietary treatments on the sensory attributes of breast meat in geese. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Leg Meat** & **TE SBM** & **ET SBM** & **TE LPS** & \begin{tabular}{c} **ET LPS** \\ **Diet** \\ \end{tabular} & \begin{tabular}{c} **SBM** \\ **Diet** \\ \end{tabular} & \
\begin{tabular}{c} **LPS** \\ **Diet** \\ \end{tabular} &
\begin{tabular}{c} **SEM** \\ **Diet** \\ \end{tabular} \\ \hline Odour intensity & 5.7 a & 5.3 a & 6.2 b & 6.8 b & 5.5 a & 6.5 b & 0.1708 \\ \hline Flavour intensity & 5.3 a & 5.9 a & 6.6 b & 6.7 b & 5.6 a & 6.6 b & 0.1856 \\ \hline Tenderness & 4.6 & 5 & 6.2 & 5.3 & 4.8 & 5.7 & 0.2199 \\ \hline Juiciness & 5.2 & 5.7 & 6.4 & 6.1 & 5.4 & 6.2 & 0.1969 \\ \hline Overall acceptability & 5.5 & 6.3 & 6.2 & 6.3 & 5.9 & 6.2 & 0.1933 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}  
Values within a row with different superscript letters (a, b) differ significantly at \(p\) < 0.05.  
\end{table} 
Table 7: Means of the genetic groups and dietary treatments on the sensory attributes of leg meat in geese. and Eskildsen crossbreeds enabled an analysis of the effect of targeted genetic selection on meat quality, while the inclusion of yellow lupin as an alternative protein source in the diet provided data on the potential of this component in farming practices [19]. The selection of Tapphorn and Eskildsen lines for this study was motivated by their high growth potential, as also observed in other heavy-type goose breeds, such as White Koluda(r) and Zatorska, which exhibit satisfactory fattening results under intensive feeding systems [21]. One of the most consistent effects in this study was related to pH. The geese fed the LPS diet had significantly higher ultimate pH values in breast muscles, which are associated with slower postmortem glycolysis. Elevated pH promotes water-holding capacity and tenderness, and enhances colour stability. This was reflected in lower cooking loss and darker meat (lower L* values) in LPS-fed birds. These effects are in line with previous findings on the relationship between pH and meat quality traits [7; 15; 16; 17; 22]. The results indicate that the genotype and feeding system significantly affect all meat colour parameters (L*, a*, b*), as supported by the literature. Meat colour is strongly associated with myoglobin content, muscle fibre type, and the degree of lipid oxidation [17]. The highest lightness (L*) values were recorded in the TE SBM group, which may suggest a lower pigment concentration or different muscle structure. In contrast, the TE LPS group showed the lowest L* values, possibly indicating a higher proportion of type I fibres and greater myoglobin content, as suggested by [PERSON] et al. [14]. These results are also consistent with the observations of [PERSON] et al. [20], who emphasisedthat goose meat quality--including its colour--is influenced by both genetic factors (breeding line) and nutrition, especially under different rearing systems.