Nutritional Values, Physicochemical and Microbiological Properties of Turkey Thigh Muscle—Effect of Wild Garlic (Allinum ursinum L.) Supplementation

Abstract

The current study assessed the impact of adding wild garlic (Allinum ursinum L.) to the diets of turkeys on the physicochemical and microbiological properties as well as the fatty acid profile and antioxidant potential of thigh muscle. The tested materials were thigh muscle from 40 turkeys (Big-6 type) divided into two groups (P1—control group and P2—sample supplemented with wild garlic at a level of 0.2% in the feed mixture). Measurements of chemical composition, pH, water activity, color, total heme pigments, lipid oxidation, and microbiological analysis (Enterobacteriaceae, E. coli, Salmonella spp., L. monocytogenes) showed that the addition of wild garlic to a turkey diet did not affect thigh meat quality. The effect of adding wild garlic (Allinum ursinum L.) to the diets of turkeys on the antioxidant potential (against the DPPH radical) and fatty acid profile of the thigh muscle was noted. Thigh muscles obtained from turkeys reared in group P2 were characterized by a significantly higher PUFA content compared to meat from the control group. Further studies should consider turkey diet supplementation with a higher level of wild garlic and an in-depth analysis of meat quality.