Effects of Dried Blueberry Pomace and Pineapple Pomace on Growth Performance and Meat Quality of Broiler Chickens

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of dried blueberry pomace (BP) and pineapple pomace (PP) on the growth performance and meat quality of broiler chickens. A total of 240 1-day-old Ross 308 broiler chickens were randomly divided into 3 groups, with 10 replicates per treatment group and 8 birds per replicate (4 males and 4 females). The three groups were the control (CON) group, the 3% BP group, and 3% PP group. The entire trial period lasted 42 days. The results show that the average daily feed intake, average daily gain, and feed-to-gain ratio of the BP group and the PP group were not significantly different from those in the CON group (p > 0.05). Adding BP to the diet significantly reduced the proportion of liver and giblets (p p 24h and L* of breast muscles were significantly lower in the PP group than in the CON group (p p p < 0.05). In conclusion, the addition of 3% BP and PP to broiler chickens’ diets had no adverse effects on growth performance or meat quality.

Keywords

• blueberry pomace
• pineapple pomace
• growth performance
• meat quality
• broiler chicken