The effect of flax seeds addition in nutrition of quails on the quality of carcass and meat

Abstract

The study was performed on 6-week-old Pharaoh quails. The birds were divided into 2 feeding groups: the control, fed with the standard starter and finisher fodder, and the experimental one, fed with the fodder mixtures containing 4% fragmented flax seeds. After the experiment was completed, the birds were slaughtered and a simplified slaughter analysis was performed. From each carcass the pectoral and leg muscles, liver, stomach, heart, and fat were obtained. The pectoral muscles were used to determine the basic chemical composition and for the sensory assessment of the colour, aroma, tenderness and juiciness of the cooked meat was performed. The study allowed to find that the quails from the experimental group were characterized by a significantly lower carcass fatness, and in the remaining parameters of slaughter analysis, no differences between the control and experimental group were found. The use of flax seeds in quails nutrition had no effect on the chemical composition of pectoral muscles, only a tendency to increase the protein, dry weight and ash content, and a decrease in the intramuscular fat content were observed. The sensory evaluation showed that in the meat of birds receiving flax seeds deviations in colour, juiciness and palatability may occur.