The composition of the lipid, protein and mineral fractions of quail breast meat obtained from wild and farmed specimens of Common quail (Coturnix coturnix) and farmed Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica domestica)

Abstract

The present study was intended to answer 2 scientific hypotheses: 1) the quail species has a significant influence in quail breast meat composition; 2) the wild quail's meat presents healthier composition than their farmed counterparts. An analysis of the pectoral muscles of wild and captive common quails ( Coturnix coturnix ) and domestic quails ( Coturnix japonica domestica ) was performed. The content of fatty acids (FA), amino acids, total cholesterol, and vitamin E, some basic macro- and microminerals in the pectoral muscles of the 2 species of the genus Coturnix were analyzed. Regarding the quail species influence on meat composition, Japanese Quail (JQ) revealed better lipid composition, characterized by lower saturated FA (SFA; less 3.17 g/100 g of total fatty acids), higher polyunsaturated FA contents (PUFA; more 5.5 g/100 g of total fatty acids) and healthier polyunsaturated FA/saturated FA (P/S) and n-6/n-3 ratios and TI value (1.08, 9.54 and 0.60 vs. 0.76, 12.58, and 0.75, correspondingly). The absence of differences observed on amino acids partial sums and ratios reveals equality between species on protein nutritional quality. On the other hand, Common Quail (CQ) proved to be a better source of copper (0.181 mg/100 g of meat), iron (2.757 mg/100 g of meat), manganese (0.020 mg/100 g of meat), and zinc (0.093 mg/100 g of meat) than JQ. The comparison of farmed and wild specimens within CQ, showed that wild birds presented lower total cholesterol (less 8.32 mg/g of fresh meat) and total PUFA (less 4.26 g/100 g of total fatty acids), and higher n-3 PUFA contents (more 1.53 g/100 g of total fatty acids), which contributed to healthier P/S and n-6/n-3 ratios, but worst PI (1.60, 8.08, and 113.1 vs. 0.76, 12.58, and 100.8, respectively). The wild species revealed higher α-tocopherol content (2.40 vs. 1.49 µg/g of fresh meat. Differences observed on their mineral composition counterbalance each other. Under intensive production system and similar feeding and management conditions, the CQ develops better nutritional qualities than JQ. The comparison of wild and farmed species within CQ reveals more similarities than differences. Quail´s meat presents good nutritional quality and introduces variability to human's diet, which is much valued by consumers.

Sorghum, millet and cassava as alternative dietary energy sources for sustainable quail production – A review

“…Table 2 shows the energy, mineral and vitamin requirements of quail production while the protein and amino acid requirements are presented in Table 3. Protein quality is generally based on the availability and composition of amino acids from the feedstuff following digestion (Quaresma et al, 2022). Out of a total of 19 amino acids, only 13 are required by quails, and these are considered as essential because they must be supplied in the diet and cannot be synthesized in the quail's body.…”

Genome-Wide Association Study Revealed Putative SNPs and Candidate Genes Associated with Growth and Meat Traits in Japanese Quail

“…Quail meat contains a small amount of fat (3–4%) and a significant proportion of proteins (20%). In terms of vitamin and mineral content, quail meat is superior to the meat of broiler chickens [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ].…”

African leaf (Vernonia amygdalina) extracts improve Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) carcass traits

“…Thus, apart from egg production, carcass production traits and meat quality have become serious issues during the rearing processes. Studies have indicated that 8-week-old Japanese quail meat contains high protein and fat levels (23.32–24.55 g/100 g and 1.1–1.30 g/100 g, respectively) [ 1 ], but high cholesterol levels (71.07–87.0 mg/100 g) [ 1 , 2 ]. However, quail farming in Indonesia faces highly fluctuating temperature and humidity conditions; too high or low temperatures affect bird health, growth, product quality [ 3 ]; carcass quality [ 4 , 5 ]; body weight, carcass weight, carcass percentages [ 6 , 7 ]; immunity, nutrient digestibility, and product quality [ 8 , 9 ].…”