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Background The purpose of the study was to evaluate the post-slaughter value and quality of broiler chicken meat, and the possibility of enriching it with health-promoting fatty acids. Methods The experiment was carried out on 108 sexed broiler chickens (Ross 308). For the first 21 days of their lives, the chickens received the same diet, and after 21 days the chickens were divided into 3 groups of 36 birds (six replicate pens with 6 birds per pen comprised one experimental group), and fed the experimental diets until the 42nd day. The experimental diets were wheat-corn-soybean diets with soybean oil (5% control), grape seed oil or pomegranate seed oil. The grape seed oil and pomegranate seed oil replaced 2% of the soybean oil in the control diet. On day 42, the broilers were slaughtered and post-slaughter tests were performed. Samples of breast and thigh muscle were collected for basic chemical composition, physical characteristics, fatty acid profile, malondialdehyde content and sensory evaluation. Results The source of the oils did not significantly alter the slaughter yield, basic nutrients and physical characteristics of the breast and thigh muscles, but pomegranate seed oil significantly improved the palat- ability of thigh muscles. Grape seed oil and pomegranate seed oil influenced the fatty acid profile of the meat. The grape seed oil significantly decreased saturated fatty acids (palmitic) in muscles. The inclusion of pome- granate seed oil resulted in the deposition of a small amount of punicic acid, while significantly increasing rumenic acid. The inclusion of 2% grape seed oil in the broilersr diet significantly increased the sum of the n-6 fatty acids and the ratio of n-6 to n-3 relative to the control group. Punicic acid n contained in the pomegran- ate seed oil n was effectively converted to rumenic acid, indicating the possibility of enriching the meat with these acids and increasing the health-promoting properties of broilerr meat. Conclusions Grape and pomegranate seed oil are potentially promising additives which could improve the fatty acid profile of poultry meat. The inclusion of grape and pomegranate seed oils into the feed is one way to improve the quality of broiler chicken meat and the derived lfunctional foodr. It could also be a way to give people better quality food without changing their eating habits.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of high rape cake content and phytase added to phosphorus and calcium deficient diets on the nutritive value for broiler chickens. Two experiments were performed: a growth experiment on four groups of one-day-old broilers Ross 308, 30 birds per group (6 replications x 5 birds) and a digestibility experiment on 60 chickens divided into four groups of 20 birds (4 replications of 5 birds). The digestibility of the starter diets were evaluated on chickens at 7 days of age and of grower diets at 28 days of age. The diets used in the digestibility tests were the same for the growth trial. In the growth experiment four diets were prepared for the due periods: starters (1-21 day) and growers (22-49 day of chicken life). The control diet (SBM) did not contain rape cake, while experimental diets contained 15% (starters) and 20% (growers) rape cake of Lirajet cultivar. The experimental diet denoted RC HP had P and Ca contents equal the control diet (phosphorus about 7.5 g and calcium about 10 g.kg-1), while the diet denoted as RC LP contained less P and Ca (5.8 g and 6.8 g.kg-1 respectively) than the control and RC HP diets. The diet denoted RC LP+ Phy was supplemented with an enzyme preparation containing phytase at a quantity of 875 FYT.kg-1. Application of 15% of rape cake into starter and 20% into grower diets (RC HP) allowed for similar body weights and feed conversion ratio as the control group, whereas reduction of phosphorus and calcium content in the starter diet (RC LP) significantly decreased body weight at day 21. The addition of phytase to the starter diet with low level of phosphorus and calcium showed the tendency to improve body weight in this period. Application of rape cake into starter and grower diets had poor effects on fat digestibility in all groups, whereas supplementation of grower diets with a low level of phytase phosphorus and calcium improved the digestibility of total phosphorus in comparison to the control and RC HP diets. A tendency to improve the performance results for diets with rape cake (RC HP) in comparison to the control diet in the second period of fattening (grower diets) was observed. Application of rape cake into the diets had a significantly beneficial effect on slaughter yield, fleshiness and fatty acid composition of meat, but not so on the heart muscle, whereas phytase did not have an influence on slaughter results. It was concluded that rape cake can be used in broiler diets, but a quantity of 15% in the starter and 20% in the grower diet may have a negative effect on the heart of so fed birds.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of high rape cake content and microbial phytase added to low-phosphorus diet on deposition of nutrients and energy in body of broiler chickens and quality of their bones. At the beginning, seven 1-day-old Ross 308 chickens were weighed, slaughtered, dried, and their bodies were analysed for gross energy and nutrient content. Next, 90 one-day-old chickens were randomly divided into three groups. The group I was fed control diet (RC), which contained 15% (starter) and 20% (grower) of rape cake of Lirajet cultivar with P (7.5 g kg-1) and Ca (10 g.kg-1). The group I I was fed diet denoted as RC LP, which contained less P and Ca (5.8 g.kg-1 and 6.8 g.kg-1, respectively) than the control diet. The diet for group III, denoted RC LP+ Phy, contained 5.8 g.kg-1 of P and 6.8 g.kg-1of Ca, and was supplemented with enzyme preparation containing 0.35g.kg-1 of phytase. On the 21st d of life, the chickens were weighed and six birds from each group were slaughtered, dried, and analysed. The rest of the chickens were fed grower mixtures to 49 d of age and then six chickens were slaughtered and the quality of their bones was evaluated. The reduction of P and Ca contents in diets and phytase application did not influence body weight and feed consumption, but significantly improved the deposition of total phosphorus in chicken body at 1-21 d of age. The highest content of total phosphorus was stated in the femur of the chickens fed diet with normal P and Ca contents. The application of phytase to low-phosphorus diet did not influence the quality of bones.