Biomechanical tests: applications and their reliability for the prediction of bone strength in broiler chicken

Abstract

The poultry industry is considered potent for the economy of any country because chicken production is an important food source now-a-days. However, skeletal abnormalities are one of the major contributing factors to production loss. For decades researchers are trying to make contributions for the diagnosis of these problems effectively and are giving suggestions for the improvement in their skeletal deficiencies. Bone structural and metabolic disturbances (like tibial dyschondroplasia, osteoporosis and osteoarthrosis) are common in broiler chickens and have emerged in past few years. Due to fast growth and high leg to body weight ratio bone suffers excessive stress and loses the strength. Such conditions are manifested with a tendency for fracture. Understanding of bone quality provides deep information of the mechanical and functional aspects of bone tissues. The measurements of the bone strength can be performed with some methods, like the geometrical indices, radiographic or dual-energy X-ray absorptiometric density measurements, ash content measurements or the assays of bone turnover biomarkers. But biomechanical tests are the core diagnostic tools that can measure bone health parameters with reliable indicators. In this review, an overview of the mechanical tests used to test bone quality has been given and the effectiveness of such methods is discussed using different bones of poultry birds. Knowing the basic concepts on biomechanical tests applied in poultry bones and comparing the results to identify suitable testing methods may input improvement in the dialogue between the researchers interested in the assessment of bone strength at both structural and pathophysiological levels.