EFFECT OF DIETS CONTAINING SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE FERMENTATION PRODUCTS ON BROILER PERFORMANCE AND MEAT QUALITY(Atena Editora)

Abstract

This work aimed to evaluate the effect of adding Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation products (SCFP) to broiler diets on performance, carcass yield, and meat quality. One-day-old male Cobb chicks (n = 624), randomised into four treatment groups with six replicates of 26 birds per experimental unit, were reared for 42 days. Treatments consisted in the inclusion of SCFP at different concentrations (0.000, 0.625, 1.250, and 2.500 kg/ton of feed). At 43 days of age, three broilers from each experimental unit were slaughtered, totalling 18 birds per treatment. Feed intake, weight gain, feed conversion, and carcass yield and meat quality were analysed. Breast fillets were submitted to colour (L*, a*, and b*), pH, water holding capacity (WHC), cooking loss (CL), shear force, and lipid oxidation analyses. Data were analysed using polynomial regression. SCFP supplementation not affected (P > 0.05) broiler performance, carcass and breast yields, pH, colour, WHC, and CL. The fillets of broilers that received the highest concentration of SCFP had shear force values approximately 10% lower (P < 0.05) than those of control fillets. Lipid oxidation was lower in fillets of chickens fed the highest SCFP concentration, although this difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.092). It is concluded that the addition of SCFP to broiler's diet does not interfere with broiler performance, though improves meat quality, mainly its tenderness, and might reduce lipid oxidation.