Nutrition to Improve Sensorial Quality

Dietary nutrients play a significant part in determining growth rate and meat yield. It is known that the compositions of protein and total amino acids of meat are invariable by feeding treatments, hence the meat taste is considered to be invariable. However, the relationship of taste components of meat with nutrients is not fully elucidated, and there have been few reports on the effect of feeding treatments on taste-active components of chicken meat. Previously, restricted feeding and dietary low metabolizable energy levels decreased the free Glu contents of meat, and the meat taste was deteriorated (Fujimura et al., 1997, 2001). In the present study, the effect of dietary CP and amino acid levels before marketing on broiler meat composition, i.e., free amino acids and ATP metabolites, and sensory score were studied using female broilers. As a result of this study, free Glu and sensory score in meat were increased in high CP diet, and free Glu contents increased by dietary CP levels for 3 to 10 days. Dietary BCAA also affected the free Glu and improved the meat taste. These results the dietary components are one of the important factors affecting the meat taste of chickens.