Characterization and Consumer Acceptance of White Striping in Broiler Breast Fillets

White striping is an emerging issue in the broiler meat industry which causes concerns among the producers. The condition is characterized by the occurrence of white striations, parallel to the direction of muscle fibers, mainly in broiler breast fillets and thighs. Fillets can be categorized as NORM (normal or no striping), MOD (moderate) and SEV (severe) depending on the degree of white striping. As a result of few previous research studies on the condition, there is no information available on the impact of white striping on the consumer acceptance and various meat quality attributes. Our hypothesis was that the occurrence of the condition could be associated with tissue changes in meat and the physical appearance of the striations on the meat may affect the purchase intent of the product. The present study was intended to determine the consumer acceptance, meat quality and pathological changes associated with different degrees of white striping. The effects of growth rate, strain, gender, and dietary vitamin E level on the occurrence of condition were also evaluated. The results from the present study showed that MOD and SEV degrees of white striping reduced (P \u3c 0.05) the consumer acceptance of the broiler breast fillets due to its marbled or fatty appearance. However, the condition did not show (P \u3e 0.05) any effect on cooked meat quality attributes, mainly tenderness. Serologic profile and the histopathological findings indicated chronic myopathic tissue changes associated with higher degrees of white striping. These tissue changes were also manifested as increase in fat (P \u3c 0.05) and decrease (P \u3c 0.05) in protein contents as the degree of white striping increased from NORM to SEV. The occurrence of MOD and SEV degrees was closely associated (P \u3c 0.05) with heavier birds or increased growth rate in broilers. Nonetheless, the incidence of the condition showed neither any strain/gender predilection nor relation to dietary vitamin E level. In conclusion, white striping is a growth associated myopathic condition seen in fast growing broiler birds which can affect the consumer acceptance and proximate composition of broiler breast fillets

The effect of a Lactobacillus-based probiotic for the control of necrotic enteritis in broilers

Necrotic Enteritis (NE) caused by Clostridium perfringens (CP) in poultry is probably the most important bacterial disease in terms of economic implications. The disease is multi-factorial and is invariably associated with predisposing factors. The present study investigated the effect of a commercially available Lactobacillus-based probiotic (FM-B11) for the control of necrotic enteritis in broiler chickens. In experiment 1, one-day-of-hatch broiler chicks were randomly allocated to the following treatment groups: 1) Non-challenged (NC); 2) Challenged (C); 3) Challenged + probiotic (C+ FM-B11). Prior to placement, chicks in groups 2 and 3 received 0.25 mL of Salmonella typhimurium (ST) containing 105 cfu of viable cells by oral gavage. At 14, 15 and 16 days of age, all chicks in group 3 were treated with FM-B11 in the drinking water at a concentration of 106 cfu/ml. At 21d of age, all chicks in groups 2 and 3, were individually challenged with 5 × 104 sporulated oocysts of E. maxima by oral gavage. At 26d of age, all chicks in groups 2 and 3, were individually challenged with 108 cfu CP; body weight (BW) was recorded prior to challenge. The experiment was terminated at 29 days of age and the following parameters were evaluated: NE-associated mortality, CP lesion scores, CP concentrations in ileum, BW, and body weight gain (BWG). Chicks treated with FM-B11 had significantly (P 0.05) difference in lesion score between C and C + FM-B11, group C + FM-B11 had significantly (P < 0.05) lower total number of cfu of CP recovered from the ileal mucosa and content samples when compared to group C. Experiment 2 was a unique and remarkable case report of a field outbreak of NE in a commercial broiler farm in Argentina. A reduction and control of the mortality associated with NE following 3 days of administration of FM-B11 was observed as compared with the control non treated house. These results imply that the commercially available Lactobacillus-based probiotic FM-B11 was able to reduce the severities of NE, as a secondary bacterial infection, in an experimental NE challenge model; as well as, in a commercial field outbreak of NE