Effects of Dried Blueberry Pomace and Pineapple Pomace on Growth Performance and Meat Quality of Broiler Chickens

oleh: Yaodong Hu, Shi Tang, Wei Zhao, Silu Wang, Caiyun Sun, Binlong Chen, Yuxing Zhu

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2023-07-01

Deskripsi

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of dried blueberry pomace (BP) and pineapple pomace (PP) on the growth performance and meat quality of broiler chickens. A total of 240 1-day-old Ross 308 broiler chickens were randomly divided into 3 groups, with 10 replicates per treatment group and 8 birds per replicate (4 males and 4 females). The three groups were the control (CON) group, the 3% BP group, and 3% PP group. The entire trial period lasted 42 days. The results show that the average daily feed intake, average daily gain, and feed-to-gain ratio of the BP group and the PP group were not significantly different from those in the CON group (<i>p</i> > 0.05). Adding BP to the diet significantly reduced the proportion of liver and giblets (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Adding PP to the diet significantly reduced the proportion of liver, while the proportion of gizzard significantly increased (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The pH<sup>24h</sup> and L* of breast muscles were significantly lower in the PP group than in the CON group (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The water-holding capacity of the leg muscles in the BP group and the PP group was significantly lower than that in the CON group (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The crude protein content of breast muscle and the ether extract content of leg muscle in the BP group were significantly lower than those in the CON group (<i>p</i> < 0.05). In conclusion, the addition of 3% BP and PP to broiler chickens’ diets had no adverse effects on growth performance or meat quality.