Alterations in meat nutrient composition in response to a partial replacement of corn with triticale in the broiler diet

The study evaluated the effect of feeding triticale on proximate composition, amino acids (AA) profile and nutritional value of meat (breast and thigh) of broiler chickens. A 5-weeks trial (1-35d) was conducted on Cobb 500 broilers (n=400), allotted into two dietary groups with five replicates (40 birds/replicate) and fed control (C, corn-soybean meal) and triticale (T, corn-triticale-soybean meal) diets. Broilers meat’s proximate composition and energy value showed no significant differences between treatments. Feeding triticale significantly increased (P<0.05) breast muscle concentrations of arginine, valine and phenylalanine, while the methionine and alanine decreased (P<0.05) and did not affect the total AA, essential, non-essential or flavor AA. Concerning the thigh muscle AA profile, partial corn replacing with triticale decreased (P<0.05) the content of isoleucine, leucine, serine and alanine, without altering the total AA, EAA, NEAA, flavor AA or their ratio. The limiting AA in both muscle types was leucine, irrespective of diet. The EAA index and net protein value revealed no significant differences between diets or muscle types. In conclusion, partial corn replacement in broilers’ diets with triticale did not adversely affect the proximate meat composition and positively impacted broilers’ nutritional meat protein quality.