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1. In order to meet market demand for poultry, producers strive to ensure processing plants are more efficient. One of the ways of achieving better productivity is to remove meat from the carcase straight after slaughter. To diminish the negative consequences of this procedure, various processing techniques can be used, with brining being one of the most popular of these techniques.2. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physicochemical and sensory properties of chicken breast meat subjected to the procedure of early deboning and brine injection prior to chilling, as well as to verify the influence of brine on characteristics of the meat.3. To evaluate meat characteristics and verify the influence of brine injection on its quality, pH and water-holding capacity (WHC) were determined. Desirability of odour, taste, juiciness and tenderness to the consumer was evaluated. The intensity of odour and taste was assessed by a team of selected assessors in order to verify their influence on the consumer desirability of these features.4. The results showed that pH was lower, whereas WHC was more favourable in the case of brined meat. Moreover, sensory evaluations indicated that the desirability of taste and juiciness was significantly higher in the brined samples.5. Early deboning and brine injection prior to chilling of chicken breast meat had a positive influence on the sensory variables of the ready-to-eat product, thus contributing to its higher consumer acceptability.

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of replacing dietary soybean oil (SBO) with sacha inchi (Plukenetia volubilis L.) oil (SIO) supplemented or not with medicinal plant powder (MP, 60% cinnamon twig, and 40% star anise fruits) on broiler performance, carcass traits, and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 PUFA) content of breast meat. A total of 288 Ho × Luong Phuong broiler chickens (age and average body weight: 6 weeks old and 877 ± 13.4 g) were equally divided into three groups (6 replicates of 16 birds each), balanced by BW and sex. Each group was randomly allocated to one of three dietary treatments: a 2% SBO diet (CON), a 2% SIO diet (SI), and a diet supplemented with 2% SIO and 1% MP (SIM). The experiment lasted for 70 days. Broiler performance, carcass traits, and technological meat quality were not affected by the diets (P > 0.05). However, colored broiler chickens fed the SIM diet had increased empty gizzard percentage (P < 0.05) compared to those fed the CON diet. Especially, the n-3 PUFA content of breast meat from broiler chickens fed diets containing SIO was higher than those of birds fed CON diet (P < 0.01). A significant decrease in cholesterol content was observed (P < 0.01) in broilers fed SIM diet compared to those fed CON diet. In conclusion, replacing 2% SBO with 2% SIO and 1% MP supplementation in broiler diets increased n-3 PUFA content and decreased cholesterol content in breast meat, without negative effects on bird performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality. Therefore, a combination of SIO and MP can be used as an effective strategy to ameliorate the meat quality of finishing broiler chickens by enhancing n-3 PUFA content and reducing the cholesterol content of breast meat., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

1. Two consecutive trials were conducted to evaluate the effects of guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) supplementation (a creatine precursor) and energy levels in broiler diets based on maize-soybean meal (Trial 1) or that additionally included poultry by-product meal (PBPM; Trial 2) on growth performance, carcass yield and breast meat quality to 41 days of age. 2. A total of 792, one-day-old male Ross 308 broiler chickens were randomly distributed into six treatments - three energy levels (sufficient AME n or 0.2 and 0.4 MJ/kg reduced AME n ) and two GAA levels (0.00% or 0.06%) with eight replicates for each trial. 3. Reducing dietary energy resulted in poorer body weight gain (BWG) and feed conversion ratios (FCR) for each trial (P < 0.05). However, GAA supplementation improved FCR, BWG and European Production Efficiency Factor (EPEF) (P < 0.05). 4. Dietary energy level and GAA addition had no significant effect on carcass parameters, drip loss, pH and chemical composition of breast meat (P > 0.05), but decreased relative liver weight (P < 0.05). 5. It was concluded that, regardless of dietary energy levels, supplementation of GAA to plant-based diets or those including PBPM has the potential to improve growth performance in broilers.

Dietary starch with lower rate and extent of digestion improves broiler feed efficiency, but previous results might have been confounded by non-starch components of the grains. Therefore, the objective of this research was to study the effects of starch digestion on broilers using semi-purified starch. Semi-purified wheat (WS, rapidly digested) and pea (PS, slowly digested) starch were combined to create 6 WS:PS ratios (100:0, 80:20, 60:40, 40:60, 20:80, and 0:100) in starter, grower and finisher diets. Each treatment was fed to Ross 308 male (2,124) and female (2,376) broilers housed in 72 L floor pens from 0 to 31 d of age to measure performance and meat yield relative to live weight. On day 33, the effects of diet on 8 h feed withdrawal was assessed in 20 males per treatment. Data were analyzed with ANOVA and linear and quadratic regression analyses using SAS 9.4. Significance was accepted at P ≤ 0.050. Body weight gain declined linearly with increasing PS. Male feed intake decreased with increasing PS, but PS did not affect female feed intake. Mortality corrected gain:feed ratio was quadratically influenced by diet (estimated maximum at 25% PS). Breast meat increased linearly with PS, while fat pad and breast and thigh skin decreased linearly. Quadratic responses were found for thigh meat and whole drum (estimated maximum values at 56 and 54% PS, respectively). Males grew faster, ate more, and had higher mortality than females. They also had heavier pectoralis major, thigh bone, and whole drum, while females had heavier pectoralis minor and more breast and thigh skin. After feed withdrawal, digesta content decreased linearly with time in all sections, except for the crop and duodenum, which declined quadratically. Ileal digesta pH increased linearly with time, while crop and caecal pH decreased for 2 h before steadily increasing. Diet did not affect digestive tract emptying or digesta pH. In conclusion, dietary PS maximized feed efficiency at 25% PS and linearly improved breast meat yield, but did not affect digesta clearance after feed withdrawal., (© 2019 Poultry Science Association Inc.)

Background: Both selenium (Se) and probiotic Bacillus regulate the metabolism to help defense clod stress and improve the meat quality in breeding chicks. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of supplemental Se and Bacillus in the form of Se-enriched Bacillus (SECB) on the growth performance, lipid parameters, breast Se and antibiotic levels, and breast meat quality of chicken in winter cold stress., Methods: Five hundred 1-d-old chickens were divided into five groups randomly: Control, inorganic Se, compound Bacillus, SECB, and antibiotic. The feed duration was 56 d., Results: After 28 d of treatment, chicks feed SECB or compound Bacillus had higher body weights than the control, and after 56 d, chicks given either SECB or compound Bacillus had higher body weights than the control chicks or those given inorganic Se. Adding SECB to feed significantly increased the lightness, redness, and yellowness of breast meat, improved the water-holding capacity, and reduced the shear force and cooking loss. The concentration of Se in the breast muscle very significantly increased after SECB and inorganic Se supplementation, which was opposite to the concentration of flavomycin in antibiotic supplemented chicks. The antioxidative status of plasma and breast meat was significantly improved with added compound Bacillus and SECB: the total antioxidant capacity, total superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase ability in the breast muscle significantly improved, and the malondialdehyde concentration in plasma decreased. The levels of total cholesterol plasma triglyceride and very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the plasma and breast muscle was decreased compared to that of the control, while the plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration increased., Conclusions: In conclusion, SECB supplementation promoted the body growth, antioxidative status, and Se concentrations in the plasma and breast meat, and also improved the breast meat quality.

The influence of white striping (WS) on the water-holding capacity (WHC) and protein functionality attributes of broiler breast meat was investigated. Boneless breast fillets (Pectoralis major) were collected from the deboning line of a commercial processing plant and categorized by WS score (normal, moderate, severe). The physical (weight, pH, CIE-color values), water-holding capacity (salt-induced water uptake, cook loss, final yield), protein functionality (solubility, emulsifying activity), and protein composition (SDS-PAGE) characteristics of the fillets were measured in three experiments. Breast meat with WS exhibited greater fillet weights, higher pH, and similar color values (L*a*b*) to normal fillets. In experiment 1, fillets were frozen-thawed prior to analysis. The WS condition reduced thaw loss, sarcoplasmic protein solubility, and the emulsifying activity of the myofibrillar proteins, but did not significantly affect salt-induced water uptake, cook loss, final yield, or myofibrillar protein solubility. In experiment 2, breast meat was analyzed fresh and after a freeze-thaw cycle. Freezing samples prior to analysis negatively influenced WHC and reduced sarcoplasmic protein solubility in both WS and normal fillets. In fresh and frozen-thawed meat, the WS condition decreased sarcoplasmic protein solubility but did not significantly alter WHC or myofibrillar protein solubility. For experiment 3, fillets were portioned into 3 sections (Location A, cranial end-ventral surface; Location B, cranial end-dorsal surface; Location C, caudal end). The effects of WS on WHC and protein solubility were dependent upon breast fillet sampling location. Fillets with WS exhibited lower salt-induced water uptake, greater cook loss, and lower sarcoplasmic protein solubility than normal fillets when sampled from location A. SDS-PAGE analysis indicated that differences in the composition of sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar protein fractions between WS and normal fillets were influenced by sampling location. These results suggest that WS diminishes the WHC and protein functionality of broiler breast meat, but demonstrate that the WS effects on these traits are not uniform throughout the breast muscle., (Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Poultry Science Association 2016. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.)

Indigenous chicken breeds have showed slower growth rate and yield lower meat production, compared to commercial broilers. However, their meat quality is valued by modern consumers. The present study aimed at analyzing the quality traits of breast meat samples of Noi broilers, one of the famous indigenous chicken breeds in Vietnam. A total of 355 breast fillet samples were collected to evaluate quality meat traits such as pH, surface color, drip loss, and cooking loss at different time points of 3, 24, and 48 hours after slaughtering as well as to analyze chemical compositions such as dry matter, crude protein and ether extract. As result, sex and cold-storage time significant affect some of quality traits of breast meat, whereas their interaction did not associate among the observed properties. After 3 hour-storage, the pH value was determined at 5.63, then decrease to 5.56 and 5.55 after 24 and 48 hours, respectively. The color values (L*, a*, and b*) were in the normal range reported from previous studies. Meat samples of two sexes did not vary in the cooking loss and drip loss values, whereas it was significantly different due to cold-storage time. The ether extract content of the meat was found negatively correlated with the cooking loss. The higher dry matter content of breast meat resulted in the lower drip loss value after 3h coldstorage (r=-0.12, P<0.05). There is a negative relationship between L* and a*. The variation demonstrated in this study can be used in breeding schemes in order to improve meat quality of Noi chicken lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effect of dietary threonine level on productivity and carcass characteristics of indigenous Venda chickens. In each experiment the diets were isocaloric and isonitrogenous but with different dietary threonine levels. A complete randomized design was used in both experiments, the grower (1-49 days old unsexed Venda chickens) and finisher (50-91 days old female chickens) phases. The grower diets contained 4 (CT4), 5 (CT5), 6 (CT6), 7 (CT7) and 8 (CT8) g of threonine/kg DM, while similar diets were used for the finisher phase but designated (FT4), (FT5), (FT6), (FT7) and (FT8), respectively. A quadratic equation was used to determine threonine levels for optimal productivity. Dietary threonine level had significant effect (P<0.05) on feed intake, growth rate, FCR, live weight, ME intake and Nretention of unsexed and female Venda chickens. Feed intake, growth rate, feed conversion ratio, live weight, metabolisable energy and N-retention of unsexed and female Venda chickens were optimized at different dietary threonine levels. Dietary threonine level had no effect (P>0.05) on pH of crop, proventriculus, gizzard, small intestine, large intestine and caecum contents of female Venda chickens. Dietary threonine requirements for optimal productivity decreased as Venda chickens grew older. Dietary threonine levels for optimal productivity will depend on the particular variable in question. These findings have a lot of implications on ration formulation for slow-growing Venda chickens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed at investigating white striping (WS) and wooden breast (WB) cases in breast meat collected from commercial broilers. Methods: A total of 183 breast samples were collected from male Ross 308 broilers slaughtered at the age of 6 weeks (n = 100) and 7 weeks (n = 83). The breasts were subjected to meat defect inspection, meat quality determination and histology evaluation. Results: Of 183, 4 breasts from 6-week-old broilers were classified as non-defective while the others exhibited the WS lesion. Among the 6-week-old birds, the defective samples from the medium size birds (carcass weight ≤2.5 kg) showed mild to moderate WS degree with no altered meat quality. Some of the breasts from the 6-week-old birds with carcass weight above 2.5 kg exhibited WB in accompanied with the WS condition. Besides of a reduction of protein content, increases in collagen matter and pH values in the defective samples (p<0.05), no other impaired quality indices were detected within this group. All 7-week-old broilers yielded carcasses weighing above 2.5 kg and showed abnormal characteristics with progressive severity. The breasts affected with severe WS and WB showed the greatest cook loss, hardness, springiness and chewiness (p<0.05). Development of WB induced significantly increased drip loss in the samples (p<0.05). Histology indicated necrotic events in the defective myofibers. Based on logistic regression, increasing percent breast weight by one unit enhanced the chance of WS and WB development with advanced severity by 50.9% and 61.0%, respectively. Delayed slaughter age from 6 to 7 weeks increased the likelihood of obtaining increased WS severity by 56.3%. Conclusion: Cases of WS and WB defects in Southeast Asia have been revealed. Despite few cases of the severe WS and WB, such abnormal conditions significantly impaired technological properties and nutritional quality of broiler breasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A feeding trial was conducted on 75, ROSS308 (0-42days) broilers, to evaluate the quality of the meat from broilers which received food industry by-products in their diets: rapeseeds meal and grape pomace, or flaxseeds meal and buckthorn meal. The broiler chicks were assigned to 3 groups (C, E1 and E2), and were housed in an experimental hall with controlled environmental conditions: average air temperature 27.07±2.75oC, humidity 64.80±9.57%. For 10 days, during the starter phase, all chicks received a conventional compound feed. In the other two stages (growing, finishing), compared to the conventional diet given to the C group, the diet formulations of the experimental groups included different proportions, depending on the phase of development, rapeseeds meal and grape pomace (E1), or flaxseeds and buckthorn meals (E2). The highest polyphenols concentration was determined in the finishing diet formulation for group E1 (with 8% rapeseeds meal and 4% grape pomace). The dietary concentration of ɷ 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ɷ 3 PUFA) in the diet formulations for group E2 increased with the level of dietary flaxseeds meal (2.5% during the grower phase and 8% in the finishing phase). Six broilers from each group were slaughtered in the end of the trial and meat (breast and thigh) and liver samples were collected and assayed for dry matter, protein, fat, ash, fatty acids and cholesterol. The highest concentration of ɷ 3 PUFA, which are essential for human health, were determined in the breast and thigh of E2 broilers (flaxseeds meal and buckthorn meal). The cholesterol level in the breast meat and thigh samples was not significantly different between groups; however, it was lowerin the experimental groups than in the control group. The fat level in the liver samples collected from C group broilers was significantly (P≤0.05) higher than in the experimental groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The processing ability of poultry meat is highly related to its ultimate pH, the latter being mainly determined by the amount of glycogen in the muscle at death. The genetic determinism of glycogen and related meat quality traits has been established in the chicken but the molecular mechanisms involved in variations in these traits remain to be fully described. In this study, Chicken Genome Arrays (20 K) were used to compare muscle gene expression profiles of chickens from Fat (F) and Lean (L) lines that exhibited high and low muscle glycogen content, respectively, and of individuals exhibiting extremely high (G+) or low (G-) muscle glycogen content originating from the F2 cross between the Fat and Lean lines. Real-time RT-PCR was subsequently performed to validate the differential expression of genes either selected from the microarray analysis or whose function in regulating glycogen metabolism was well known. Results: Among the genes found to be expressed in chicken P. major muscle, 197 and 254 transcripts appeared to be differentially expressed on microarrays for the F vs. L and the G+ vs. G- comparisons, respectively. Some involved particularly in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism were selected for further validation studies by real-time RT-PCR. We confirmed that, as in mammals, the down-regulation of CEBPB and RGS2 coincides with a decrease in peripheral adiposity in the chicken, but these genes are also suggested to affect muscle glycogen turnover through their role in the cAMP-dependent signalling pathway. Several other genes were suggested to have roles in the regulation of glycogen storage in chicken muscle. PDK4 may act as a glycogen sensor in muscle, UGDH may compete for glycogen synthesis by using UDP-glucose for glucoronidation, and PRKAB1, PRKAG2, and PHKD may impact on glycogen turnover in muscle, through AMP-activated signalling pathways. Conclusions: This study is the first stage in the understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying variations in poultry meat quality. Large scale analyses are now required to validate the role of the genes identified and ultimately to find molecular markers that can be used for selection or to optimize rearing practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This study investigated the effect of microclimate temperature during preslaughter transportation on chicken meat quality. Ninety broilers per load of 2,900 were monitored individually during 3 to 4 h of preslaughter transport in an actively ventilated trailer. Six transport test runs were conducted at average ambient temperatures of -27, -22, -17, -5, +4, and +11°C. Birds were classified into 4 groups based upon the temperatures recorded in their immediate surrounclings as follows: -16 to 0, 0 to 10, 10 to 20, and 20 to 30°C. Internal body temperatures of the birds wete recorded using Thermocron DS1922L iButtons. Birds were slaughtered in a commercial facility and meat quality of the chilled carcasses was evaluated by determination of pH, color, drip loss, thaw loss, cook loss, shear force, water-binding capacity, and pellet cook yield of the pectoralis major muscle. The breast meat from birds exposed to temperatures below 0°C showed a significantly higher (P < 0.05) ultimate pH. Breast meat from birds exposed to temperatures below 0°C showed significantly higher (P < 0.05) ultimate pH, a* value, water-binding capacity, and pellet cook yield and a significantly lower L* compared with breast meat of birds exposed to temperatures above 0°C. The average core body temperatures were significantly lower (P < 0.05) during transport for birds exposed to temperatures below 0°C compared with those exposed to temperatures between 0 and 10°C. The latter l)irds had significantly lower (P < 0.05) core body temperatures compared with those exposed to temperatures above 10°C. Thaw loss was significantly higher (P < 0.05) for breast meat of birds exposed to temperatures above 20°C during transportation. There was no significant trend for b* value, drip loss, cook loss, or shear values based on environment temperature immediately surrounding the birds. Exposure to temperatures below 0°C increased the incidence of dark, firm, and dry breast meat and decreased the incidence of pale, soft, and exudative breast meat. These results demonstrate that preslaughter transport may influence breast meat quality characteristics of broiler chicken. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated for applying cheese instead of pork backfat mixing with different combinations of chicken parts (thigh meat, breast meat and mixtures of each half) on the quality effects of cheese chicken patties. The results showed that the breast samples had lighter color among 3 different treatments; the cooked samples were lighter than fresh groups. The a*, b* values, cooking loss and pH values of thigh samples were the highest. But, the moisture content(%) of breast samples was the highest. The intensity of cheese aroma strength from breast samples were the strongest, the biting strength, springiness and chewiness of thigh group had the highest scores, breast group were lowest; the results of 5-scale hedonic scores for different sensory attributes had the similar tendency. The thigh samples had the highest scores of overall acceptability (3.8), the mixture group was next (3.0), those whole quality were accepted by panelists; but, the breast group was the lowest (2.6). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]