January 29, 2010

Herb-and-spice feed additive improves chicken meat quality

German researchers have discovered that herb-and-spice feed additive digestarom can improve the eating quality of chickens.

Digestarom by Micro-Plus was used in poultry diets to improve feed conversion, growth rate and uniformity of growth as well as reduce mortality.

Renate Thieme and Steve Ladbrook of Micro-Plus carried out several trials in conjunction with Georg-August-University in Gottingen, Germany with a professional taste panel evaluating thigh and breast meat.

The tenderness and general impression were significantly enhanced in the treatment group, with a strong tendency to more succulent meat. This was supported by a more detailed follow-up trial where meat from the treated group was described 36 times as juicer as or more tender than the control group.

Laboratory analysis showed that treatment samples tended to have a higher fat content of 1.25%. The taste of meat is influenced by the level of intramuscular fat and its consistency.

A trial carried out in the UK compared treated birds with chickens randomly selected from supermarket shelves. The taste panel showed a general preference for the treated birds in all aspects, including aroma, flavour, texture and aftertaste.

Therefore, it is concluded that the feed additive positively changed the eating quality of chickens, making it juicier and more tender.