مجلة الأنبار للعلوم الزراعية (Jun 2024)
NATURAL ANTIOXIDANTS IMPACT ON CARCASS TRAITS, MEAT QUALITY AND ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY IN BROILER SUBJECTED TO HEAT STRESS
Abstract
This experiment aimed to investigate the effects of natural antioxidants in powders of beetroot (Br), grape pomace (Gp), and willow (W) added to the diet at two levels (1% and 0.5%) on carcass traits, meat quality, and economic feasibility of thermally-stressed (average 33°C) broilers. Six hundred thirty Ross-308 day-old chicks were reared. After 2 weeks of starter feeding, the treatments were applied with grower feed followed by finisher feed until marketing age (42 days). The treatments were as follows: T1: Control (basal diet BD); T2 (BD+1%Br); T3 (BD+0.5%Br); T4 (BD+1%Gp); T5 (BD+0.5%Gp); T6 (BD+1%W); T7 (BD+0.5%W). A Complete Random Design (CRD) was used with three replicates per treatment; thirty birds per replicate. The results of carcass traits showed that control birds deposited significantly more fat in their abdomen than treated groups. Breast meat quality results indicated that the control group lost significantly more water than the treated groups during cooking, and the T5 group was significantly juicier than the control. The deluxe meat produced from groups fed feed fortified with eco-antioxidants had significantly lower lipid content and higher moisture, protein, unsaturated fatty acids (except T2), polyunsaturated fatty acids (except T2), omega-3 (except T2 and T4), omega-6 (except T2, T3, and T5), vitamin A (except T2 and T6), and vitamin E (in T7 and T4) than the control. Furthermore, the treated groups' meat contained significantly more antioxidants (GPx) and less MDA than the control. Economically, the benefit (output) obtained from treated groups was significantly higher than that of the control group. Thus, the dietary supplementation with eco-antioxidants decreased carcass abdominal fat, produced luxurious nutritionally superior meat for consumers, and improved economic benefit.
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