The Effect of Moringa Oleifera Leaves on Chicken Meat Composition and Meat Quality

Abstract

The meat of the broiler chickens has created a huge demand among consumers. Phytobiotics attracted the attention as natural feed additives to improve meat quality and consumer acceptance. This study was conducted to investigate whether addition of Moringa Oleifera (MO) in broiler diets in different levels improve meat quality and meat chemical composition of broiler chickens. A total 150 a-day old broiler chicks (Cobb) were randomly distributed into 5 equal groups. Diets were formulated to contain approximately the same level of crude protein (CP) and metabolizable energy. In the first group (control), birds were kept on basal diet. Chicks in second, third, fourth and fifth groups were fed on the basal diets supplemented with 1, 3, 5 and 7% MO leaves, respectively. Meat samples from the humanely killed birds (on day 42) were collected to measure pH and cholesterol level. Part of the meat samples was prepared for chemical analysis and Thiobarbituric acid number (TBA). The CP level was the highest in the thigh (P=0.002) and breast muscles (P=0.007) of birds fed 3% MO. In the same way, addition of 3% MO to the diet decreased the fat in both thigh and breast muscles (P<0.001). The pH of breast muscles was suppressed in birds fed 3% MO diet (P<0.05). The addition of 7% MO to the diet decreased (P<0.001) cholesterol level in breast muscle of birds. It was concluded that addition of MO leaves to the diet of broiler chicks improved meat quality and composition.