Abstract
Production-specific factors, such as breeding, diet, and stress, are known to influence meat quality, but the effect of different husbandry systems on the development of quality parameters and shelf life has hardly been investigated. Thus, the aim of the study was the investigation of an alternative production system based on a slow-growing, corn-fed, and antibiotics-free chicken line compared with conventional poultry production. Additionally, the effect on meat quality, microbiology, and spoilage was analyzed. In total, 221 breast filets from a German poultry meat producer were investigated. Nutritional, biochemical, and cooking loss analyses were conducted on a subset of samples 24 h after storage. The rest of the samples were stored aerobically at 4°C, and the spoilage process was characterized by investigating pH, color, lipid oxidation, microbiology, and sensory attributes subsequently every two days during storage. The alternative production line showed a significantly healthier nutritional profile with a higher protein and lower fat content. Additionally, the amount of L-lactic acid and D-glucose was significantly higher than in the conventional production line. The color values differed between both production lines, with the corn-fed line displaying more yellowish filets. The lipid oxidation and microbial spoilage were not affected by the production line. The shelf life did not differ between the investigation groups and was deemed 7 days in both cases. Despite the highest severity of white striping being observed most in the conventional production line, there was no overall difference in the incidence among groups. The purchase decision was affected by the occurrence of white striping and showed a tendency for a higher acceptance for the alternative production line.
Highlights
To meet the growing consumption and consumer demands, poultry production underwent a remarkable development of intensi cation
Characteristics of the alternative production line were as follows: the used race was the slow-growing Ranger Classic at a maximal stocking rate of 32 kg/m2 and a toy-enriched environment, such as bales of straw and boxes. e diet of the birds contained more than 50% corn. e fattening focused on a slower growth of the animals and was conducted without antibiotic medication. e birds were slaughtered after 42–45 d
Characteristics of the conventional production line were as follows: the race Ross 308 was used at a stocking rate of 39 kg/m2
Summary
To meet the growing consumption and consumer demands, poultry production underwent a remarkable development of intensi cation. E increasing demand for extensive production systems which are vigilant for animal welfare resulted in a growing organic sector, local certified products, and the establishment of high-quality meat lines [10, 14]. As the meat market reached the saturation point in Germany, meat quality as well as animal welfare and sustainability have an increasing impact on the purchase decision of the consumer. E use of more sustainable systems, such as the proposed one, may increase consumer acceptance and the willingness-to-pay higher prices; any modification of the production system may cause differences in the meat quality, nutritional parameters, and the shelf life of the final product. A total of 221 filets were investigated in two repeated storage trials to assess the development of quality parameters and shelf life. Except for cooking and thawing loss, the development of quality and microbial parameters was investigated by six repeated measurements until the end of storage at 288 h (12 d)
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