The aim of the study was to compare carcass and meat quality traits in 42-day-old Ross 308 and Cobb 500 broiler chickens. Forty carcasses were studied. Acidity (pH24 ) and electrical conductivity (EC24 ) of pectoralis major muscle and drumstick were determined 24 h postmortem. After carcass cutting, samples of breast and leg meat were collected for determination of quality traits. Broiler genotype had a significant effect on abdominal fat content in carcass and on water, protein, fat, sodium, and magnesium content in breast meat. Bird origin had an effect on the lightness, yellowness, horizontal diameter of muscle fiber, horizontal:vertical (H:V) diameter ratio, and most textural characteristics of pectoralis major muscle, as well as on the pH (pH24 ), electrical conductivity (EC24 ), and yellowness (b*) of leg muscles. Sex of birds had a significant effect on carcass weight, water, fat and collagen content, L*, a*, b* color attributes, and chewiness and gumminess of breast meat and on water and protein content in leg muscles. The present study provided information on the differences in carcass and meat quality between Ross 308 and Cobb 500 broiler chickens.
Keywords: broiler chicken; carcass composition; gender; genotype; meat quality.
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