Effect of Production System and Slaughter age on Some Meat Quality and Digestive Tract Traits of Pheasants (Phasianus colchicus)

Abstract

Male and female mixed 200 pheasants were reared in intensive and outdoor conditions to assess the meat quality and some digestive tract traits. Color, pH, cooking loss, water holding capacity and drip loss were determined as meat quality traits. Production system did not have significant effect on most of meat quality traits. Conversely, most of these traits were affected by slaughter age. Water holding capacity significantly decreased but cooking loss increased by slaughter age.Total digestive system weight rate to body weight was decreased by slaughter age but did not differ between production systems. Small and large intestine lengths were significantly longer in indoor system and significantly decreased by slaughter age.

The fatty acid profile and the quality of breast and leg muscles in female and male pearl gray guinea fowl (Numida meleagris)

“…Guinea fowl meat, in particular leg muscles, is characterized by a higher contribution of redness in comparison with the meat of other poultry species ( López-Pedrouso et al, 2019 ; Nusairat et al, 2022 ; Zelleke et al, 2022 ). The values of a* in the current and cited studies indicate that guinea fowl meat is similar to venison, especially pheasant meat ( Sarica et al, 2021 ; Tomasevic et al, 2021 ). This observation is confirmed by hue angle (h°) values in the breast muscles of male and female guinea fowl, which were highly similar to those reported by Daszkiewicz and Janiszewski (2020) in the breast muscles of pheasants (54.90 in males and 55.99 in females).…”

The Effects of Slaughter Age and Sex on Carcass Traits, Meat Quality, and Leg Bone Characteristics of Farmed Common Pheasants (Phasianus colchicus L.)

“…Slaughter age and sex significantly modify carcass characteristics and meat quality parameters. Previous studies have determined the effects of the slaughter age and sex of pheasants on carcass weight and composition [20][21][22][23][24][25], the basic chemical composition of the meat [25], meat acidity and color parameters [2,12,25], the fatty acid profile, meat sensory traits [13], and meat tenderness [26].…”