Carcass and Meat Characteristics of Broilers Stocked at a High Density and Supplemented with Acidified Turmeric

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate how acidified turmeric affected the meat quality of broilers that were maintained in high-density condition. Two hundred and eighty-five 14 days old Lohmann broiler chicks were randomly allotted to CONT (birds stocked at a density of 9 birds/m2 and received control/basic feed), HSD (birds stocked at a density of 16 chicks/m2 and received control feed), HSDT (birds stocked at a density of 16 chicks/m2 and received feed supplemented with 1% turmeric powder) and HSDAT (birds stocked at a density of 16 chicks/m2 and received feed supplemented with 1% acidified turmeric powder). Carcass determination and meat sample was collected at day 37. CONT meat had lower (P<0.05) pH than other meats. HSDAT meats had greater (P<0.05) redness (a*), whereas yellowness (b*) values were lower in CONT than other meats. CONT meat had higher (P<0.05) unsaturated and saturated fatty acids (FA) than other meats. CONT had higher (P<0.05) n-3 to n-6 FA ratio than HSDT, but did not differ (P > 0.05) from HSD and HSDAT meats. In conclusion, high stocking density adversely affected meat qualities of broilers. Dietary supplementation of acidified turmeric was capable of improving the physical and chemical characteristics of meats of broilers raised in a high density pen.