Cross Versus Purebred Thai Chickens Concerning Carcass Characteristics, Performance, and Frozen Meat Quality
Cross Versus Purebred Thai Chickens Concerning Carcass Characteristics, Performance, and Frozen Meat Quality
Khanitta Pengmeesri1,2* Thassawan Somchan1 , Doungnapa Promket1,3
ABSTRACT
Native chickens hold promise in niche markets, but purebred chickens lag due to slow growth, crossbreeding can solve it. Crossbred natives reach market weight by the 10th week, in contrast to purebreds taking 12 weeks. This study aims to examine carcass composition, meat quality, and muscle fiber in crossbred and purebred native chickens after a 4-week freeze at market weight. The research involves 100 purebred Thai native chickens (Yellow-whited tail, YWN) and 100 three-breed crosses (25% egg line, 25% meat line, 50% Yellow-whited tail native chicken, CBN), raised under identical open-house conditions for 10 and 12 weeks. CBN hits market weight (around 1.2 kg) in the tenth week, while YWN takes 12 weeks. At both weeks, ten chickens from each breed were randomly selected per 5 cages and slaughtered. Post-carcass dressing, breast and thigh sections were hermetically sealed and stored at -30°C for four weeks, followed by thawing at 4°C for 24 hours. The assessment covers thaw, cooking, and drip losses, along with shear force measurements. Muscle fibers in the breast and thigh were studied via Scanning Electron Microscopy. Using a Completely Randomized Design, meat quality records underwent analysis with four treatments: 10 weeks age of CBN (10CBN), 12 weeks age of CBN (12CBN), 10 weeks age of YWN (10YWT), and 12 weeks age of YWN (12YWT). Findings highlight distinctive shear force in breast meat across breeds, with YWN displaying higher levels. Younger chickens show more cooking loss in the breast. While thigh breed effects are absent, shear force fluctuates with age, higher in older birds. Meat quality between purebred and crossbred chickens displays disparities after freezing, favoring purebreds for quality. Crossbred natives reached market weight faster than purebreds, but after freezing, purebreds exhibited a quality advantage.
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