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Discusses results of an experiment conducted on chickens that were fed a diet supplemented with a combination of ascorbic acid and alpha-tocopherol or oregano in order to ameliorate a negative effect of stress on meat quality characteristics. Tocopherol content in feed and muscle; Carotenoid content in oregano; Erythrocyte stability; Effect on activities of antioxidative enzymes.

Abstract: Meat is an integral part of the human diet. Besides essential amino acids and nutritive factors of high quality and availability, meat provides often overlooked components of importance for human health. These are amino acids and bioactive compounds that may be very important in i) preventing muscle wasting diseases, such as in sarcopenia, ii) reducing food and caloric intake to prevent metabolic syndrome, iii) blood pressure homeostasis via ACE-inhibitory components from connective tissue, and iv) maintaining functional gut environment through meat-derived nucleotides and nucleosides. In addition, meat could be an important source of phytanic acid, conjugated linoleic acids and antioxidants. Further, it becomes increasingly apparent that design of in vitro meat will be possible, and that this development may lead to improved health benefits from commercially viable and sustainable meat products. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]