<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>The objective of the study was to determine the effect of breed (A) and free-range production system (B) on quality of meat from hens of two breeds, Greenleg Partridge (Z-11) and Rhode Island Red (R-11), which are under the biodiversity conservation programme in Poland. Subjects were 120 hens of each breed, which were assigned to two treatment groups differing in the housing system: 60 layers were kept on litter without outdoor access (C) and 60 layers were raised on litter with access to free range (FR). At 56 weeks of age, 8 hens were randomly chosen from each group, slaughtered, and subjected to slaughter analysis. It was found from the study that carcasses from 56-week-old multi-purpose hens are characterized by poor muscle development and considerable fat content. After the first year of egg production, the meat of hens was characterized by low tenderness, high water holding capacity, and a fatty acid profile that was desirable from the viewpoint of human nutrition. In the meat of hens that completed their first year of egg production, the profile of fatty acids was beneficial from the standpoint of human nutrition. The free-range production system reduced carcass fatness, enhanced carcass and meat yellowness, and increased the proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids (both n-6 and n-3) in breast and leg muscles while causing no significant changes in the content of saturated fatty acids. The meat of the native Z-11 breed was found to contain less saturated and more unsaturated fatty acids compared to the meat of R-11 hens. There was no statistically significant effect of the production system on the sensory evaluation of cooked meat and broth.</p></abstract>

The objective of the study was to determine the effect of breed (A) and free-range production system (B) on quality of meat from hens of two breeds, Greenleg Partridge (Z-11) and Rhode Island Red (R-11), which are under the biodiversity conservation programme in Poland. Subjects were 120 hens of each breed, which were assigned to two treatment groups differing in the housing system: 60 layers were kept on litter without outdoor access (C) and 60 layers were raised on litter with access to free range (FR). At 56 weeks of age, 8 hens were randomly chosen from each group, slaughtered, and subjected to slaughter analysis. It was found from the study that carcasses from 56-week-old multi-purpose hens are characterized by poor muscle development and considerable fat content. After the first year of egg production, the meat of hens was characterized by low tenderness, high water holding capacity, and a fatty acid profile that was desirable from the viewpoint of human nutrition. In the meat of hens that completed their first year of egg production, the profile of fatty acids was beneficial from the standpoint of human nutrition. The free-range production system reduced carcass fatness, enhanced carcass and meat yellowness, and increased the proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids (both n-6 and n-3) in breast and leg muscles while causing no significant changes in the content of saturated fatty acids. The meat of the native Z-11 breed was found to contain less saturated and more unsaturated fatty acids compared to the meat of R-11 hens. There was no statistically significant effect of the production system on the sensory evaluation of cooked meat and broth.

Effect of Breed and Production System on Physicochemical Characteristics of Meat From Multi-Purpose Hens

Department of Animal Genetic Resources Conservation, National Research Institute of Animal Production, 32-083 Balice n. Kraków, Poland

Department of Animal Production and Poultry Products Evaluation, University of Rzeszów, Ćwiklińskiej 2, 35-601 Rzeszów, Poland

3 Department of Management and Marketing in Agribusiness, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Al. Mickiewicza 21, 31-120 Kraków, Poland

Annals of Animal Science

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

The objective of the study was to determine the effect of breed (A) and free-range production system (B) on quality of meat from hens of two breeds, Greenleg...

Effect of Breed and Production System on Physicochemical Characteristics of Meat From Multi-Purpose Hens

Published Online: Mar 03, 2015

Page range: 247 - 261

Received: Aug 08, 2014

Accepted: Oct 31, 2014

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/aoas-2014-0082

Keywords
hens, biodiversity, free range, meat quality, fatty acid

© by Michał Puchała

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Effect of Breed and Production System on Physicochemical Characteristics of Meat From Multi-Purpose Hens

Published Online: Mar 03, 2015

Page range: 247 - 261

Received: Aug 08, 2014

Accepted: Oct 31, 2014

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/aoas-2014-0082

Keywordshens, biodiversity, free range, meat quality, fatty acid

© by Michał Puchała

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
hens, biodiversity, free range, meat quality, fatty acid