ABSTRACT
The objective of the present study was to evaluate the influence of the supplementation with biocomplexed minerals on the quality of the meat of label Rouge lineage chicken, of both genders, reared in an alternative system. The experimental design was completely randomized (CRD) in a factorial scheme (3x2), with three diets (control; 0.50ppm of selenium; 0.40ppm of chromium) and two genders. For lipid stability, the CRD arranged in a factorial scheme (3x2x2) was used, being three diets, two genders and two storage times (0 and 12 months). The parameters evaluated in the breast and in the thigh were: final pH, color (L* - luminosity, a* - red index, b* - yellow index, C* - saturation index and h* - tonality angle), weight loss per cooking (WLC), shear force (SF) and lipid stability. In addition, we evaluated the proportion of chemical forms of myoglobin of the thigh and the quantification of selenium content in the breast. There was no isolated effect of diet on the physical and chemical parameters of the breast and thigh and selenium concentration in the breast. Females had higher mean values of L* (57.57), b* (10.55) and C* (10.60) of the breast; and males of L* (55.09) of the thigh. Among males, poultry fed with the control diet and chromium showed higher SF values of the thigh than those supplemented with selenium; for the treatment with chromium, the males presented superior average of SF of the thigh and, in contrast, for the treatment with selenium, the females had the highest average. Samples submitted to the period of 12-month of storage showed higher values of substances reactive to thiobarbituric acid (TBARS) in both cuts. Supplementation with biocomplexed chromium and selenium did not cause changes in meat quality; females presented better attributes of meat quality.
Keywords:
biocomplexed chromium; biocomplexed selenium; color; shear force; myoglobin pigments