Abstract
Certain meat quality traits of guinea fowl that were reared in two production systems were determined in this study. Grey guinea fowl were reared in free-range and barn conditions. Birds were slaughtered at 14, 16 and 18 weeks old to determine meat quality traits. Some digestive traits were also determined. The type of production system affected the yellowness of breast meat significantly, and guinea fowl reared in the free-range system had yellower breast meat. The pH of both breast and thigh meat increased at older ages. Water-holding capacity, cooking loss and drip loss of breast and thigh meat were not affected by production system. Drip loss of meat decreased at older slaughter ages. The ratios of digestive system organ weights to body weight mostly decreased at older ages. Keywords: Digestive tract, free-range, meat colour, water holding capacity, pH
Highlights
Demand for guinea fowl meat is increasing throughout the world
Cooking loss was not affected significantly by production system, slaughter age or sex, with the exception of thigh-meat cooking loss, which was significantly lower at 18 weeks in comparison with other slaughter ages (P
Consumer preferences are strongly guided by meat colour, which can be affected by numerous factors (Fanatico et al, 2007), including production system, age and sex (Castellini et al, 2002; Yamak et al, 2016; Boz et al, 2017)
Summary
Demand for guinea fowl meat is increasing throughout the world. In terms of production, guinea fowl is the cheapest poultry meat to produce in some countries, those in Africa (Saina, 2005). Most studies that focused on guinea-fowl meat quality were conducted in barn conditions (Bernacki et al, 2012; Tufarelli & Laudadio, 2015). Birds reared under such conditions have a different flavour and more fat than game birds, probably because of their limited exercise (USDA, 2015). Given the few studies that have compared the meat quality of guinea fowl reared indoors and those raised in freerange systems, this study examined the effects of production system (indoor barn and free-range) on certain production traits of guinea fowl
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
