QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF MEAT OBTAINED FROM BROILER CHICKENS GIVEN GARLIC (ALLIUM SATIVUM) AND GINGER (ZINGIBER OFFICINALE) IN DRINKING WATER

Abstract

This study was carried out to evaluate the meat quality obtained from broiler chickens offered garlic (Allium sativum), ginger (Zingiber officinale) and their mixture in drinking water. Two hundred and forty (240) one-day old Arbor Acre breed of broiler chickens were randomly grouped into ten (10) treatments of three (3) replicates and 4 males and 4 females per replicate. A 3 x 3 x 3 factorial arrangement in a completely randomized design was adopted. There were 3 sources of herbal supplement (garlic, ginger and 50:50 garlic and ginger) at 3 levels of supplementation (1.8, 2.3 and 2.8 g/l). The control treatment had no herbal supplement. At the end of the experiment, two birds (1male and 1 female) were randomly selected per replicate for meat quality assessment. Moisture content, cooking loss, oxidative stability and palatability scores were determined. The moisture contents of the meat were not significantly (p>0.05) influenced by the herbal treatments but were highly influenced (p<0.001) by muscle type with drumstick having the highest significant value (74.58±1.92%). Oxidative stability was significantly (p<0.05) influenced by muscle type, thigh muscle had the highest MDA concentration (1.88±0.23mgMDA/kg meat). Result for ginger aroma showed that there were significant differences (p<0.05) due to herbal treatments. It was concluded that supplementation of garlic, ginger and their mixture in drinking water of broiler chickens up to 2.8g/L water had no adverse effect on their meat quality.