Vasko Gerzilov1, Atanas Bochukov1, Petar Petrov1 and Georgi Penchev2
1 Agricultural University, Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agronomy, 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
2 Trakia University, Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, 6000 Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
Gerzilov, V., Bochukov, A., Petrov, P. & Penchev, G. (2020). Morphological and histological characteristics of goose fatty liver. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 26 (6), 1305–1308
A study related to the qualification of 399 samples fattened liver of geese was conducted. Marketable fatty liver of grade A constitutes 70.17% with an average weight of 585.0±7.4 g, and grade B – 16.04% with 527.3±9.3 g. The non-marketable liver of grade C (less than 400 g – not considered for foie gras) and unfattened liver make up respectively – 11.03% and 2.76%. Histology observation of livers of qualities A and B showed that the cytoplasm of all hepatocytes contained many fatty droplets in different size which fill the entire cell. The cell plasmalemma in livers with grade A was intact, despite intense fatty infiltration, while in grade B in some cases, integrity was compromised.