Meat quality characteristics of chickens as influenced by housing system, sex, and genetic line interactions

Abstract

This study evaluated the effects of housing system (cage versus pen), sex and line cross (EMY1 and EMY2) on meat quality in meat-type chickens. Chickens (n = 640) from each line cross (males: females = 1:1) were housed in batteries from d 1 to 28. Then, half of them were transferred to indoor floor pens, and the others were raised in single cages. Meat quality traits of breast fillets were measured at 91 d of age. Percent lipid and histidine were higher, whereas % total protein and myofibre density (MDS) were lower in caged than penned chickens. Cross EMY1 had higher MDS, but lower lipid % and myofibre diameters (MDM) than EMY2 (p