Carcass yield and meat quality in broilers fed with canola meal.

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Poultry Nutrition
• Agricultural Science

Background:

• Soybean meal is a common protein source in broiler diets.
• Exploring alternative protein ingredients like canola meal is crucial for feed sustainability and cost-effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of varying canola meal inclusion levels on broiler performance.
• To assess effects on carcass yield, meat quality (chemical composition, instrumental, and sensory analyses).

Main Methods:

• A 35-day feeding trial with 320 Cobb broilers.
• Diets formulated with 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% canola meal replacing soybean meal.
• Statistical analysis using polynomial regression.

Main Results:

• Carcass yield showed quadratic effects, with optimal leg yield at 18% and chest yield up to 8.4% canola meal.
• Breast meat's dry matter and ether extract increased linearly, while ash content decreased linearly with canola meal inclusion.
• Leg meat composition, breast meat instrumental analysis, and sensory attributes were not significantly affected.

Conclusions:

• Canola meal can substitute soybean meal up to 20% in broiler diets.
• This substitution level maintains carcass yield, meat composition, and meat quality attributes.