The effects of dietary probiotics and humic acid on meat quality of Japanese quail including sex-related differences and economical background

Abstract

The effects of humic substances (HS) on the quality traits (colour, water-holding capacity, and pH), serum minerals (calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, chlorides) and on the serum metabolites (glucose, total protein, triglycerides and cholesterols) of breast and thigh meats of Japanese quails were studied. A total of 60 birds (30 males and 30 females) were involved in the experiment. The animals were fed by the standard basal diet and divided to the 6 groups as follows: probiotic females (PF, n = 10) and probiotic males (PM, n = 10) received probiotic preparation in the single dose of 1 g/1 kg of feed mixture, humic acids females (HF, n = 10) and humic acid males (HM, n = 10) received humic acids in the single dose 3 g/1 kg of feed mixture. The group fed basal diet without any additive served as the control group (CF; n = 10, CM, n = 10). After 210 days the animals were slaughtered, blood samples and samples of muscles (breast and thigh) were collected. Probiotic and humic acids treatment resulted in the significant increase of serum calcium levels in the female groups against the male groups. The content of serum phosphorus significantly increased in the PF group in comparison to the PM group. In this study both treatments (probiotics and humic acids) significantly decreased amount of HDL cholesterol in the female groups in comparison to the female control. Significant sex-based differences were observed for HDL cholesterol (CF, PF, HF vs. CM, PM, HM) and LDL cholesterol (HM vs. HF). 24 h after slaughter meat pH showed significant differences in different muscles. Other investigated parameters of Japanese quails were not influenced by the treatment. We can conclude, that the effect of probiotics and humic acids treatment seems to be dose dependent and estimation of effective dose of additives used in poultry feeding play an important role. Further studies are needed.