Comparative analysis of duck meat quality in different breeds and age

Meat quality of ducks is influenced by factors such as breed, age, genotype and growing conditions. This study investigated growth performance, slaughter performance, meat quality, amino acid, nucleotide and fatty acid composition in ducks of different breeds and ages. Cherry Valley ducks showed superior feed efficiency, body weight, and meat yield. Fat and collagen content were higher in leg muscles and increased with age. Cherry Valley ducks had higher breast muscle fat, while Liancheng White ducks had the highest IMP levels. Cherry Valley ducks also had higher levels of several amino acids in breast muscle, while Runzhou Crested White ducks had higher amino acid levels in leg muscle. Amino acid and fatty acid concentrations rose with age but declined after day 63. Liancheng and Runzhou ducks had higher levels of C20:4n6 and C22:6n3, though these peaked earlier in Cherry Valley ducks. Overall, breed and age significantly affected duck meat quality.