Nutritional strategies to improve meat quality and body composition in the challenging conditions of broiler production: A review

Authors: CHOI, JANGHAN - Oak Ridge Institute For Science And Education (ORISE); Kong, Byungwhi; Bowker, Brian; Zhuang, Hong; KIM, WOO KYUN - University Of Georgia

Submitted to: Animals
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/16/2023
Publication Date: 4/18/2023
Citation: Choi, J., Kong, B.C., Bowker, B.C., Zhuang, H., Kim, W. 2023. Nutritional strategies to improve meat quality and body composition in the challenging conditions of broiler production: A review. Animals. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13081386.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13081386

Interpretive Summary: Intense genetic selection and nutrient programs have made significant achievements in enhancing growth performance, feed efficiency, and meat yield of broiler chickens. However, favorable quality and body composition are also crucial in poultry production. Many challenging conditions in poultry production, including fast growth, microbial infection, high rearing temperature, and feed contamination, negatively influence poultry meat quality and composition. Studies demonstrate that modulating nutrient composition in feed and supplementing bioactive compounds including vitamins, probiotics, prebiotics, exogenous enzymes, polyphenol compounds, and organic acids positively influence meat quality and body composition of broiler chickens.

Technical Abstract: Poultry meat is becoming the most important animal protein sources for human beings in terms of health benefits, cost, and production efficiency. Effective genetic selection and nutritional programs dramatically increase yield and efficiency of broiler production. However, the modern practices in broiler production also result in unfavorable meat quality and body composition due to diverse challenging conditions including bacterial and parasitic infection, heat stress, and consumption of mycotoxin and oxidized oils. This has been demonstrated by many altered meat quality parameters such as pH, water holding capacity (WHC), lipid peroxidation, and muscle myopathies. Numerous studies show that appropriate nutritional interventions improve meat quality and body composition of broiler chickens. Modulating nutritional composition (e.g., energy and crude protein levels) and amino acid levels alter meat quality and body composition of broiler chickens. Supplementation of bioactive compounds such as vitamins, probiotics, prebiotics, exogenous enzymes, polyphenol compounds, and organic acids improves meat quality and changes body composition of broiler chickens.