Meat physico-chemical composition of guinea fowl fed organic diets supplemented with dry oregano leaf

Meat physico-chemical composition of guinea fowl

Abstract

The present study was conducted to determine the meat quality and some fatty acids of standard guinea fowl genotype fed organic diets supplemented with dry oregano (Origanum vulgare L.) leaf. A total of 240-day-old guinea fowl keets (mixed-sex) were randomly divided into four dietary groups with three replicate pens (20 keets per pen). The birds were fed on the basal diet with supplementation of the control (without supplement, 0 g/kg), 5  g/kg (low), 10 g/kg (medium) and 15 g/kg (high) dry oregano leaf (Origanum vulgare L., OV) during 16 weeks. There were no significant differences for the values of L*, a*, b*, H* (Hue angle), C* (Chroma), ∆E*((L*²+a*²+b*²)^½) in right breast with skin (Pectoralis major and Pectoralis minor) and without skin between each group. No statistical differences were found between the mean values on physical characteristics (pH, water holding capacity), chemical composition (moisture, protein, fat and ash), saturated and unsaturated fatty acids of right breast meat of guinea fowl with the supplementation of the different levels of dietary oregano leaf. These findings showed that oregano supplementation had no practical adverse impact on the meat quality of guinea fowl reared in the organic system.