Evaluation of carcass characteristics and meat composition of broiler chicken fed graded levels of tannia (Xanthosoma sagittifolium) corm meal as a replacement for maize

Abstract

A study was conducted to investigate the effect of replacing maize grain with tannia corm meal (TCM) on carcass characteristics and meat proximate composition. A total of 180-day-old Ross 308 broiler chicks were randomly divided into 15 pens, each with 12 chicks, and assigned to five dietary treatments with 3 replications. The five treatments were a replacement of maize grain with TCM at 0 (T1), 15 (T2), 30 (T3), 45 (T4) and 60% (T5) levels. Slaughter, carcass, breast, thighs, drumsticks, wings, gizzard and skin weights among the treatments were significant (p < 0.05). The proximate composition of ether extract (EE) both in breast and thigh muscles was lower in birds fed 45 and 60% levels of TCM. The crude protein (CP) level of breast muscle and the ash content of thigh muscle were significantly (p < 0.05) different. On the other hand, moisture content in breast and thigh muscles, CP from thigh muscle and ash from breast muscle were comparable for all the treatment diets. In conclusion, based on the chemical composition of the meat noted in this study, TCM in broiler diets could substitute maize grain up to 60%. However, using TCM beyond 45% would affect most broiler carcass characteristics.