Functionality of Poultry Meat

Functional foods are foods enriched with single ingredients, which influence 1 or more functions of the consumer in a favorable way, exceeding the effects of normal adequate nutrition. Consumers can expect health benefits from these products. The production of functional poultry meat is a promising future perspective, although the market share of such products will be small. The objective of the present paper was to summarize some examples of functional poultry meat. Substances of interest for this purpose are fatty acids and antioxidants. Enrichment of poultry meat with these health-promoting substances is not really a new approach, but there exists a potential for meeting the recommended daily intake for humans despite a probable negative effect on product quality. In the past, many papers were published showing that poultry meat can be enriched with conjugated linoleic acid, omega-3 fatty acids, and Se in such a way that 100 g of enriched tissue meets 3 to 11, 70 to 130, and 60% of the recommended daily intake for humans, respectively. However, the occurrence of tough meat (conjugated linoleic acid) and an increased liability to oxidation (omega-3 fatty acids) may impair the use of functional poultry meat. More research is needed, both on these negative effects on human requirements for these substances and possible interactions between enriched components.