Gunya Busisiwe, Mdletshe Zwelethu Mfanafuthi
Department of Agricultural Economics and Animal Production, Faculty of Science and Agriculture, University of Limpopo, Private Bag X1106, Sovenga, 0727, South Africa.
Trop Anim Health Prod. 2025 Mar 19;57(3):133. doi: 10.1007/s11250-025-04390-y.
The objective of the study was to determine the effect of sex, season, and breed on creatine kinase (CK) levels, carcass, and the physicochemical properties of village chickens slaughtered using the transverse neck incision (TNI). One hundred chickens were stratified based on sex, breed, and season and were randomly assigned to different treatment groups to assess their live weight, carcass weight, meat quality, and CK levels. Results indicated that sex influenced live and carcass weights, with cocks (P < 0.05) being heavier than hens. Seasonal variations had a more significant effect on weights and meat quality, with the hot-dry season yielding the highest (P < 0.05) weights and the rainy season the lowest (P < 0.05). Seasonal changes also affected (P < 0.05) pH, meat colour, cooking loss, and drip loss, creatine kinase levels. The Leghorn chickens exhibited the highest (P < 0.05) live weight, and the Australorp had the lowest (P < 0.05). The Orpington breed produced the firmest meat (P < 0.05), whereas the Australorp yielded the tenderest. The study suggests that season and genetic factors significantly influence meat quality in village chickens. Further research is recommended into the nutritional status and muscle fibre composition to enhance meat quality. These findings offer valuable insights for improving slaughter practices and meat production in resource-limited farming systems.
本研究的目的是确定性别、季节和品种对采用横向颈部切口（TNI）宰杀的乡村鸡的肌酸激酶（CK）水平、胴体及理化性质的影响。根据性别、品种和季节对100只鸡进行分层，并随机分配到不同处理组，以评估它们的活重、胴体重、肉质和CK水平。结果表明，性别影响活重和胴体重，公鸡（P < 0.05）比母鸡重。季节变化对体重和肉质有更显著的影响，炎热干燥季节的体重最高（P < 0.05），雨季最低（P < 0.05）。季节变化也影响（P < 0.05）pH值、肉色、蒸煮损失和滴水损失、肌酸激酶水平。来航鸡的活重最高（P < 0.05），奥品顿鸡的活重最低（P < 0.05）。奥平顿品种的鸡肉最紧实（P < 0.05），而奥品顿鸡的肉最嫩。该研究表明，季节和遗传因素对乡村鸡的肉质有显著影响。建议进一步研究营养状况和肌纤维组成以提高肉质。这些发现为改善资源有限养殖系统中的屠宰实践和肉类生产提供了有价值的见解。
