Changes in endogenous bioactive compounds of Korean native chicken meat at different ages and during cooking

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the effect of bird age on the contents of endogenous bioactive compounds, including carnosine, anserine, creatine, betaine, and carnitine, in meat from a certified meat-type commercial Korean native chicken strain (KNC; Woorimatdag). Additionally, the effects of the meat type (breast or leg meat) and the state of the meat (raw or cooked) were examined. Cocks of KNC were raised under similar standard commercial conditions at a commercial chicken farm. At various ages (10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 wk), breast and leg meats from a total of 10 birds from each age group were obtained. Raw and cooked meat samples were then prepared separately and analyzed for bioactive compounds. The age of the KNC had a significant effect only on the betaine content. The breast meat of KNC had higher amounts of carnosine and anserine but had lower amounts of betaine and carnitine than the leg meat (P < 0.05). The KNC meat lost significant amounts of all bioactive compounds during cooking (P < 0.05). Leg meat had high retention percentages of carnosine and anserine after cooking, whereas breast meat showed almost complete retention of betaine and carnitine. The results of this study provide useful and rare information regarding the presence, amounts, and determinants of endogenous bioactive compounds in KNC meat, which can be useful for selection and breeding programs, and also for popularizing indigenous chicken meat.

Comparison of the amounts of endogenous bioactive compounds in raw and cooked meats from commercial broilers and indigenous chickens

“…The carnosine and anserine contents of meat are governed by muscle type, species, breed, gender, age, and breeding (Abe and Okuma, 1995;Chan and Decker, 1994). In contrast, Jayasena et al (2014) recently showed that the age of KNC had no significant effect on the carnosine and anserine content of their meat. Hence, the higher histidyl dipeptide content of KNC meat compared to that of CB meat may be attributed to breed.…”

“…Between the two breeds, CBs expressed higher betaine content in raw breast meat, and cooked breast and leg meat (p < 0.05). It has been shown that the betaine content of meat decreases with the age of chicken (Jayasena et al, 2014). Hence, the lower betaine content of KNC meat compared to that of CB meat may be attributable to breed and age effects because KNCs are slaughtered at older ages than CBs.…”

“…Imported breeds are bred for higher muscle accretion, which generally involves a shift from oxidative to glycolytic muscle metabolism with more type IIB muscle fibres (Jaturasitha et al, 2008). In addition, Jayasena et al (2014) revealed that the carnitine content of chicken meat was not affected (p > 0.05) by the age of chicken. Therefore, higher levels of type I and IIA fibres in KNCs compared to those in CBs may demand increased carnitine in order to buffer the excessive production of acetyl groups, as described earlier.…”

Effect of Alternative Protein Feeds on the Content of Selected Endogenous Bioactive and Flavour-Related Compounds in Chicken Breast Meat

“…Peptides like carnosine, anserine and creatine are predominant bioactive compounds found in poultry meat and are associated with many physiological functions and health benefits (i.e., anti-glycation, antioxidant and antiaging properties, as well as pH-buffers in muscle) [10][11][12][13][14][15]. In animal muscle, carnosine is synthesised from histidine (His) and β-alanine (β-Ala) through carnosine synthase, whereas anserine is a methylated analogue of carnosine [16].…”

“…Several studies have reported the effect of dietary supplementation of His or β-Ala on peptide concentration in chicken muscle [17][18][19][20], since the depletion of these peptides can negatively impact meat quality and nutritional value [17]. On the other hand, creatine is synthesised from L-arginine, glycine and L-methionine; its role is to maintain adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentrations so as to supply energy to muscles [10]. Inosine 5´-monophosphate (IMP) is the major nucleotide in muscle [21].…”