DIFFERENCE IN THE CARCASS QUALITY AND MEAT CHEMICAL COMPOSITION IN TWO LINES OF SLOWGROWING CHICKENS WITH OR WITHOUT ACCESS TO PASTURE

Abstract

The study was carried out to compare the carcass quality and the chemicalcomposition of breast and thigh meat in two lines of slow-growing male chickens -La Belle (LB) and Bresse Gauloise (BB) reared conventionally or outdoors, havingaccess to pasture. The birds were slaughtered at 12 weeks of age. Two-wayANOVA was used to assess the effect of the rearing strategies as well as the line onthe carcass quality and meat chemical composition. Rearing system affectedsignificantly the carcass traits of the birds. The lines reared on pasture had lowerlive and carcass weight as well as lower dressing percentage (P<0.001). On theother hand they had higher percent (P<0.001) of the edible by-products (neck andgiblets). The percentage of the breast meat was significantly reduced in the birdsthat had access to pasture (P<0.001), while thigh remained unaffected. Thepastured chickens displayed higher part of the wings (P<0.01). Outdoors rearinginfluenced the chemical composition in the breast and thigh meat of the lines.Chickens reared on pasture were characterised by lower lipid content (P<0.01) inbreast and reduced protein in thigh (P<0.05), as well as increased moisture in bothkinds of meat, however depending on the line (P<0.05). Furthermore, pastureaccess resulted in reduced ash content of the breast meat (P<0.001), which waslower in the LB chickens (P<0.01), while in thigh this parameter was stronglydetermined by the interaction of the rearing system and line of the birds (P<0.01).