The influence of propolis and bee pollen on chicken meat quality

Abstract

Across the world, as well as in Croatia, there is a continuous increase in the consumption of chicken meat, and attempts are being made in modern poultry production to improve its quality as much as possible by using various natural additives. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of dietary supplementation with propolis and bee pollen on the quality of chicken meat. In order to determine this effect, the carcass body weight of slaughtered chickens and carcass yield were determined, as well as the average pH1 and pH2 of chicken breast muscle, drip loss values, and skin color and chicken breast muscle color expressed as values of L* (lightness), a* (redness), and b* (yellowness). The study was conducted on 200 Ross 308 chickens, divided into five groups. Throughout the study, the control group of chickens was fed with a basal diet, while the experimental groups of chickens were fed with the basal diet supplemented with propolis and bee pollen, each supplement given separately or in combination in specific proportions. At the end of the experiment (42nd day), 10 chickens from each group were slaughtered for the analyses mentioned above. The carcass yield values were significantly higher (P = 0.038) and the drip loss values were significantly lower (P = 0.003) in the experimental groups in comparison to the control group. In addition, there was a statistically significant difference in b* skin color (P = 0.017) and b* chicken breast muscle color (P<0.001) between the groups of chickens. The study showed that dietary supplementation with propolis and bee pollen has a significant positive effect on the quality of chicken meat.