Sharifi Seyed Davood, Rahimi Abbas, Rouhanipour Hasan, Zanussi Hossein Pasha
Department of Animal and Poultry Science, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, University of Tehran, Pakdasht, Tehran, 3391-653775, Iran.
Department of Animal and Poultry Science, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, University of Tehran, Pakdasht, Tehran, 3391-653775, Iran; Institute of Agricultural Education and Extension, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran, 1985-713133, Iran.
Poult Sci. 2025 Aug 19;104(11):105706. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2025.105706.
This study evaluated the effects of raising systems and diet types on growth performance, carcass characteristics, pH content, fatty acid profiles and meat quality in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica). A total of 608 seven-day-old quail chicks were arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial design, with two raising systems (cage and free-range) and two diet types (conventional and organic). The experiment employed a completely randomized design with four treatments, four replicates per treatment, and 38 birds per replicate. Quail chicks were raised for 42 d in cages and 51 d in free-range systems, depending on the treatment. Feed intake (FI), live body weight (LBW), and mortality were recorded weekly, and daily feed intake (DFI), body weight gain (BWG), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were calculated. At the end of the experiment, birds were slaughtered to analyze fatty acid profiles, malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations, and pH in meat. Results showed FCR from 8 to 42 d of age improved in birds fed a conventional diet in cage system compared to those fed an organic diet raised in either free-range or cage systems (P < 0.05). During the periods of 8 to 42 d and 8 to 51d, BWG was higher in birds raised in the cage system fed a conventional diet compared to quails fed an organic diet raised in either free-range or cage systems (P < 0.05). Intestine length was higher in male quails raised in cages and fed a conventional diet compared to male quails raised in the free-range system fed an organic diet (P < 0.05). The gut relative weight decreased in female quails raised in cage system compared to both male and female quails raised in free-range and cage systems, respectively (P < 0.05). Meat pH decreased in quails fed an organic diet compared to those fed a conventional diet (P < 0.05). Free-range quails had higher levels of beneficial long-chain fatty acids and a more favorable n-6: n-3 ratio in their meat compared to cage-reared birds (P < 0.05). Organic diets increased alpha-linolenic acid but also elevated MDA levels, indicating greater lipid oxidation. MDA was lower in free-range birds, especially those fed organic diets, than in caged birds (P < 0.05). In conclusion, Japanese quails fed conventional diets in cage systems showed better growth and feed efficiency, while free-range birds exhibited improved meat fatty acid profiles and oxidative stability. Organic diets increased lipid oxidation, especially in caged birds, highlighting the trade-off between production performance and meat quality across rearing systems. Further studies are recommended to explore these aspects in greater detail.
本研究评估了饲养系统和日粮类型对日本鹌鹑（Coturnix japonica）生长性能、胴体特征、pH值、脂肪酸谱和肉质的影响。总共608只7日龄鹌鹑雏鸡采用2×2析因设计进行安排，有两种饲养系统（笼养和放养）和两种日粮类型（传统日粮和有机日粮）。实验采用完全随机设计，有四种处理，每个处理四个重复，每个重复38只鸟。根据处理方式，鹌鹑雏鸡在笼中饲养42天，在放养系统中饲养51天。每周记录采食量（FI）、活体体重（LBW）和死亡率，并计算日采食量（DFI）、体重增加（BWG）和饲料转化率（FCR）。在实验结束时，宰杀鸟类以分析肉中的脂肪酸谱、丙二醛（MDA）浓度和pH值。结果表明，与在放养或笼养系统中饲养的有机日粮组相比，笼养系统中饲喂传统日粮的鸟类在8至42日龄时的FCR有所改善（P<0.05）。在8至42日龄和8至51日龄期间，与在放养或笼养系统中饲养的有机日粮组鹌鹑相比，笼养系统中饲喂传统日粮的鸟类BWG更高（P<0.05）。与在放养系统中饲养且饲喂有机日粮的雄性鹌鹑相比，笼养且饲喂传统日粮的雄性鹌鹑肠道长度更长（P<0.05）。与分别在放养和笼养系统中饲养的雄性和雌性鹌鹑相比，笼养系统中饲养的雌性鹌鹑肠道相对重量降低（P<0.05）。与饲喂传统日粮的鹌鹑相比，饲喂有机日粮的鹌鹑肉pH值降低（P<0.05）。与笼养鸟类相比，放养鹌鹑肉中有益长链脂肪酸水平更高，n-6:n-3比值更有利（P<0.05）。有机日粮增加了α-亚麻酸含量，但也提高了MDA水平，表明脂质氧化程度更高。放养鸟类中的MDA含量低于笼养鸟类，尤其是饲喂有机日粮的放养鸟类（P<0.05）。总之，在笼养系统中饲喂传统日粮的日本鹌鹑生长和饲料效率更好，而放养鸟类的肉脂肪酸谱和氧化稳定性得到改善。有机日粮增加了脂质氧化，尤其是在笼养鸟类中，突出了不同饲养系统中生产性能和肉质之间的权衡。建议进一步开展研究以更详细地探讨这些方面。
