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ARS Home » Midwest Area » West Lafayette, Indiana » Livestock Behavior Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #347301
Research Project: Protecting the Welfare of Food Producing Animals

Location: Livestock Behavior Research

Title: Supplemental impacts of probiotic (Bacillus subtilis) on meat quality and oxidative stability of breast muscle from broilers exposed to chronic heat stress

Author
item CRAMER, T.A. - Purdue University
item KIM, H.W. - Purdue University
item CHAO, Y. - Purdue University
item WANG, W. - Purdue University
item Cheng, Heng-Wei
item KIM, Y.H.B. - Purdue University

Submitted to: Poultry Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/10/2018
Publication Date: 12/11/2019
Citation: Cramer, T., Kim, H., Chao, Y., Wang, W., Cheng, H., Kim, Y. 2019. Supplemental impacts of probiotic (Bacillus subtilis) on meat quality and oxidative stability of breast muscle from broilers exposed to chronic heat stress. Poultry Science. 97(9), 3358-3368. https://doi.org/10.3382/ps/pey176.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3382/ps/pey176

Interpretive Summary: Dietary probiotic supplements improve production performance and immunity of broiler chickens exposed to various challenges including heat stress. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of probiotic feeding and heat stress on oxidative stability and meat quality characteristics of broilers. The results from the current study suggest that probiotic feeding could alleviate oxidative deterioration of breast muscle from broilers undergoing heat stress through the model of decreasing phospholipid content. These results can be used by producers and scientists for developing management practices and conducting future studies.

Technical Abstract: The aim of this study was to determine the impact of probiotic feeding and heat stress on oxidative stability and meat quality of broiler chickens. A total of 240 1-day-old male chicks were subjected to four treatments consisting of a 2 x 2 factorial design (5 birds per pen; 12 pens per treatment). Broilers were kept at either 32 °C for 10 h (7:00 – 17:00) daily (heat stress) or 21 °C (thermoneutral condition) and received a regular diet or the diet mixed with the probiotic (250 ppm; containing three strains of Bacillus subtilis) from day 15 to 46. Forty-eight broilers (12 birds per treatment) were harvested at 46 days of age. Neither heat stress nor probiotic had substantial impacts on water-holding capacity, shear force, and color attributes as CIE L* and a* (P > 0.05, respectively). Heat stress increased hue angle and CIE b* during display, but probiotic decreased hue angle (P = 0.03) and CIE b* (P = 0.06) in heat stressed broiler breast muscles. Heat stress increased lipid oxidation as measured by 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and phospholipid contents in heat stressed broiler breast muscles (P = 0.002 and 0.003, respectively). 2.2-Diphenyl-1-picrythydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity was increased by heat stress (P < 0.01), but was no significantly affected by probiotic feeding. Heat stress did not affect catalase activity, but superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities were reduced in both heat stressed broilers and probiotic-fed broilers compared to their counterparts (P < 0.01, respectively). Heat stress but not probiotic feeding increased the levels of heat shock protein (HSP)70 (P = 0.08) and HSP27 (P = 0.05). Our results indicate probiotic feeding could alleviate oxidative deterioration of breast muscles from broilers undergoing heat stress through the mode of decreasing phospholipid contents.