Antioxidant capacity and meat quality of broilers exposed to different ambient humidity and ammonia concentrations

Genet Mol Res. 2014 Apr 17;13(2):3117-27. doi: 10.4238/2014.April.17.8.

Abstract

To investigate the effect of humidity and ammonia on the antioxidative capacities and meat qualities of broilers, 192 broilers were divided into 2 groups: high (H, 70 ppm) and low (L, 30 ppm) ammonia concentration. These groups were divided into 30% (Treatment humidity, T) and 60% (Control humidity, C) humidity, giving 4 treatments: C+L, C+H, T+L, and T+H. Blood and muscle antioxidative capacities and meat quality were measured. In the H group, body weight (BW), average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily weight gain (ADG), blood and muscle antioxidative capacities, and postmortem pectoral muscle a* of broilers were significantly decreased (P < 0.05), and pectoral muscle thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) contents and drip losses, postmortem pectoral muscle b* (P < 0.05) and L* (P = 0.054), and pectoral muscle shear forces (P = 0.075) increased. In the T condition, BW, ADFI, pectoral muscle superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities, and pectoral muscle L* decreased (P = 0.053), and pectoral muscle shear forces and TBARS contents increased (P < 0.05). In the T+H group, BW, ADFI, ADG, blood antioxidative capacities, pectoral muscle SOD and GSH-Px activities, and postmortem pectoral muscle a* were significantly lower than those of the C+L group, but postmortem pectoral muscle TBARS contents and pectoral muscle drip losses and shear forces significantly increased (P < 0.05). These results revealed that T+H could significantly reduce growth performance, antioxidative capacities, and meat quality of broilers; T intensified these negative effects.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Ammonia / metabolism
  • Animal Feed
  • Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena*
  • Animals
  • Antioxidants / metabolism*
  • Body Weight
  • Chickens / growth & development*
  • Dietary Supplements
  • Humidity
  • Meat / analysis*
  • Muscle, Skeletal

Substances

  • Antioxidants
  • Ammonia