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This study examined pathomorphological changes and meat quality alterations associated with Wooden Breast Myopathy (WB) in total of 192 broiler chickens divided into Ross 308 (n=96) and Cobb 500 (n=96) heavy hybrids at ages 42, 60, and 70 days. WB occurrence remained consistently high (>73%) across periods, peaking on day 70 (83% for Ross, 90% for Cobb). Cobb broilers had better production results and carcass traits parameters after day 42 and day 60 of the experiment (p≤0.05). Genotype did not affect WB occurrence or severity, while slaughter age influenced severe cases WB occurrence, increasing from 11.67% on day 42 to 36.67% on day 70 (p=0.003). The presence of WB was associated with higher ultimate pH, lightness (L*), redness (a*), and yellowness (b*) of the muscle (p

The modern pig production chain is increasingly focused on biosecurity, quality, and safety of meat and is associated with many challenges impacting world meat markets, such as animal disease outbreaks and sanitary restrictions, trade regulations and quality requirements. To overcome such challenges and assure more consistent pork meat quality (and safety), there is a need to develop an effective and reliable monitoring system in a farm-abattoir continuum that can be based on selected biomarkers. This study assessed interrelations of selected stress and inflammation biomarkers (acute phase proteins (APP)) between farm biosecurity score versus pork meat quality traits after two different lairage periods. Briefly, the maximum recorded levels of stress hormones (436.2 and 241.2 ng/mL, for cortisol and Chromogranin A (CgA), respectively) and APP (389.4 and 400.9 μg/mL, Pig Major Acute Proteins (MAP) and Haptoglobin (Hp), respectively) at four commercial farms were within the recommended threshold values. Cortisol and APP were negatively correlated to the internal and total biosecurity scores of farms. The increase of level of both sets of biomarkers was found at bleeding (after transportation and lairage period), but with lower values after long (18-20 h) versus short (1-3 h) lairage lay-over time. In general, negative correlation was confirmed between stress and inflammation biomarkers and carcass/meat quality traits. The farm total biosecurity level significantly affected chilling yield, meat temperature, and a* value. Pig-MAP emerged as a good biomarker with a promising potential for assessment and anticipation of broad aspects in the pork meat chain. It can be used for detection of failures in the pig production system and might be incorporated in certification programs for the pork meat industry.

Alternative feed ingredients, such as microalgae, may be more sustainable in comparison to conventional feedstuffs that need large amounts of arable land and are often imported. This study evaluates the effects of Chlorella vulgaris various inclusion levels in the diet of broiler chickens on performance, carcass yield, organ measurements, breast meat quality, fatty acids profile, and antioxidant capacity. A total of two hundred forty 5 d old male Ross 308 broilers were randomly allotted to 4 groups (6 replicates of 10 birds each). Each group received either a control diet or a diet where soybean meal was replaced with 10% (CV10%), 15% (CV15%), or 20% C. vulgaris for 40 d. Performance parameters, carcass and meat traits were evaluated. Compared to the control group, birds supplemented with C. vulgaris (15% and 20%) had lower body weight, weight gain, and feed intake (P < 0.0001), whereas no differences were observed between the control and CV10% groups (P > 0.05). Feed conversion ratio did not differ between control and CV groups. Diets containing C. vulgaris significantly increased ileal digesta viscosity, weight and size of several gastrointestinal compartments, as well as breast muscle yield (P < 0.0001). Incorporation of C. vulgaris resulted in yellower breast muscle (P < 0.0001), with significantly increased chlorophyll a (P < 0.05), chlorophyll b, and total carotenoids contents (P < 0.0001). Inclusion of C. vulgaris decreased bacterial count in meat samples in comparison to controls (P < 0.0001). A 20% C. vulgaris inclusion resulted in higher water holding capacity (P < 0.05) and lower cooking loss (P < 0.05). As dietary C. vulgaris increased, concentrations of DHA + EPA (P < 0.05) and n-3 PUFA (P < 0.0001) increased in breast meat, while the n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio decreased (P < 0.0001). Sensory analysis showed that breast meat from the CV10% group had the highest acceptance score. Overall, dietary concentrations of C. vulgaris of up to 20% improve breast meat quality, whereas 10% of C. vulgaris inclusion is recommended., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Fast-growing broiler chickens are subjected to breast myopathies such as white striping (WS), wooden breast (WB), and spaghetti meat (SM). Available studies about risk factors for myopathy occurrence often used flock data whereas a few reports evaluated chicken individual data. Thus, the present study aimed to elucidate the effect of growth and slaughter traits, besides sex and genotype on myopathy occurrence. Data were obtained from eight experimental trials, which used a total of 6,036 broiler chickens. Sex, genotype, daily weight gain, slaughter weight, and breast yield were evaluated as potential risk factors by logistic regression analyses. Then, the effects of myopathy and sex were evaluated on meat rheological traits (pH, colour, cooking losses and shear force). Based on a logistic regression, WS occurrence was associated with genotype, breast weight, and breast yield. Compared with chickens with intermediate breast weight and breast yield, higher odds of having WS were found in chickens with high breast weight (OR: 1.49) and yield (OR: 1.27), whereas lower odds were found in those with low breast weight (OR: 0.57) and yield (OR: 0.82). As for WB and SM, females had lower odds of having WB (OR: 0.55) and higher odds of showing SM (OR: 15.4) compared to males. In males, higher odds of having WB were found in chickens with a high daily weight gain (OR: 1.75) compared to those with an intermediate daily weight gain. In females, higher odds of having SM were associated to a high slaughter weight (OR: 2.10) while lower odds to a low slaughter weight (OR: 0.87). As for meat quality, only WB meat was clearly different for some technological and sensorial properties, which can play a major role also in meat processing. In conclusion, our analysis identified breast development as a potential risk factor for WS, while a high growth was the risk factor for WB and SM. A different probability of having WB or SM in females and male was found., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Bordignon, Xiccato, Boskovic Cabrol, Birolo and Trocino.)

The incorporation of sustainable protein sources in animal feeding is a growing trend. So far, no study has investigated in vitro digestion of meat, from broilers fed microalgae, in a human model. This research aimed to evaluate the effect of incorporating Chlorella vulgaris in the broilers diet on human protein digestibility, and mineral bioaccessibility. The study used 240 male Ross 308 broilers randomly allocated to groups fed a control diet or a diet where soybean meal was replaced with 10% (CV10%), 15% (CV15%), or 20% (CV15%) of C. vulgaris for 40 days. The microalga supplementation increased the protein and lowered the fat content in the muscle. Results on the percentages of amino acids highlighted that arginine and threonine proportions increased and lysine and cysteine proportions decreased with microalga inclusion. CV15% and CV20% meat had higher amount of K, Ca, Mg, P, and Fe in raw breasts, improving the nutrient composition of the meat. Cooking caused a decrease in Na and K and an increase in other minerals. CV20% had higher bioaccessibility of K, Ca, Mg, P, and Mg, compared to the control. Replacing soybean meal in broiler feed with higher concentrations of C. vugaris could improve the digestibility of meat protein and minerals.