Assessment of the Quality of Broiler Chicken Meat in case of Feeding the “Aquasan” Acidifier
Abstract
The acidifying agents are being used more often as an alternative to fodder antibiotics in order to preserve bird’s stock and increase productivity. We created the new liquid acidifier “Aquasan” for broiler chickens on the basis of organic and inorganic acids. The application of various feed additives or drugs to the diet of chickens leads to changes in the chemical composition of meat. The purpose of the paper was to research the slaughter qualities and the chemical composition of broiler chicken meat in case of feeding the stock with the “Aquasan” acidifier. The research was conducted on three groups of chicken broilers of the breed Ross 308 – 50 heads in each group. The first group of chickens was the control one, the second group of chickens was given the acidifier analogue called “FEEDACID MAX L”, and the third group was given the new acidifier “Aquasan”. The process of feeding of 0.1% of the working acidifier solutions was performed from the 27th day of fattening within 10 days (27th–31st and 34th–38th day). The growing period lasted 43 days. The moisture content of meat was determined by the method of drying, the content of protein – by the Kjeldahl method, total fat – by the Soxhlet method, the ash content – by the charring method. It has been established that the use of the “Aquasan” acidifier contributed to the increase in the productivity of broilers, the live weight of chickens on the 43rd day of breeding increased by 1.1 times (Р ≤ 0.05), and the weight of a carcass by 1.2 times (Р ≤ 0.05), in particular, by 310 g and 350 g, respectively. Also, the use of the acidifier allowed increasing the livability of chicken stock by 6% (Р ≤ 0.001). The average yield of carcasses of broilers increased by 4.4% (Р ≤ 0.05), which is 2% more than the standard values for this breed of chickens called Ross 308. With the use of the “Aquasan” acidifier, an increased content of dry matter in the broiler meat by 1.5% (Р ≤ 0.05) was noted and, accordingly, a decrease in the same percentage of moisture in meat. The protein content of chicken meat on the 43rd day of breeding increased by 0.9% (Р ≤ 0.05), ash increased by 0.3% (Р ≤ 0.05), and the fat content decreased by 0.4% (Р ≤ 0.05). Similar changes in slaughter rates and chemical composition of chicken meat were also observed in case of feeding the acidifier analogue “FEEDACID MAX L”; the difference compared with the new “Aquasan” acidifier was insignificant. Consequently, the feeding of the liquid acidifier “Aquasan” to chicken broilers from the 27th day of their breeding does not lead to deterioration in the quality of the slaughter and the chemical composition of poultry meat.
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