PHYSICO-CHEMICAL AND SENSORY ATTRIBUTES OF MEAT FROM BROILER CHICKENS UNDER A TRI-PHASE FEEDING APPROACH SUPPLEMENTED WITH YEAST OR MANGO LEAF POWDER

This study was conducted to evaluate the physico-chemical and sensory attributes of broiler chicken meat under a tri-phase feeding approach supplemented with yeast or mango leaf powder. A total of 90 birds were allocated to three dietary treatments, with each treatment replicated three times and comprising ten birds per replicate. The experiment lasted for six weeks, after which two birds per replicate were randomly selected, slaughtered, defeathered, and eviscerated for sample collection. Meat samples (Breast meat and Thigh Meat)were analyzed for sensory attributes, proximate composition, and technological qualities. Sensory evaluation, conducted using a 9-point hedonic scale by ten trained panelists, assessed tenderness, juiciness, flavor, texture, color, and overall acceptability. Proximate composition was analyzed for dry matter, crude protein, ether extract, and pH. Technological qualities such as cooking loss, chilling loss, thermal shortening, cold shortening, water absorption capacity (WAC), water holding capacity (WHC), and pH were determined using standard procedures. Results revealed that the inclusion of 0.5% yeast and 0.5% mango leaf powder in broiler diets influenced the physico-chemical and sensory attributes of the meat. Yeast supplementation improved meat color and reduced cooking loss, while mango leaf powder contributed to enhanced juiciness and crude protein content. Both additives demonstrated potential for improving meat quality without compromising consumer acceptability. It is recommended that 0.5% yeast or mango leaf powder be included in broiler diets to enhance meat quality, with further studies required to optimize their use for broader poultry production applications.