Improving appearance and microbiologic quality of broiler carcasses with an allostatic modulator.

An important priority of poultry producers is to guarantee animal welfare during animal production; however, broilers are exposed to unavoidable chronic stress (also known as allostasis) when they are captured, caged, and transported to the processing plant. This antemortem management causes allostatic load, animal injuries, and poor carcass quality. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of an allostatic modulator (AM) on antemortem stress by measuring the appearance and microbiological quality of broiler carcasses. The AM consisted of a liquid formula containing ascorbic acid, acetyl salicylic acid, and electrolytes, administered orally 48 h before shipment to the processing plant. A total of 600 chickens (49-days-old) were used under a factorial arrangement 2 × 2 × 2 [2 commercial hybrid lines, 2 feed withdrawal programs (10 and 16 h), and 2 water treatments (control and AM)]. Each treatment included 25 chickens per pen and was carried out in triplicate. The broilers were shipped, slaughtered, and processed in a commercial processing plant where carcass defects (bruises and broken bones caused by antemortem management), crop pH, and carcass bacterial counts were evaluated in all experimental groups. Broilers under AM treatment showed a reduction in carcass defects (P = 0.015), crop pH (P = 0.0001), coliforms counts (P = 0.014), and total aerobic mesophilic bacteria (P = 0.0001) when compared to the control treatment. The present study indicates that the AM can be used to improve carcass quality in broilers. Our study provides a novel and economic alternative to reduce the allostatic load in broilers.

Effect of an allostatic modulator on stress blood indicators and meat quality of commercial young bulls in Mexico.

To assess the effect of an allostatic modulator (AM) on stress blood indicators and meat quality traits, the feed of 80 non-castrated 18-20 month-old bulls was supplemented with 10 g/day of an AM for 30 days before slaughter. Another 80 bulls served as control animals. The AM was comprised of ascorbic acid, acetoxybenzoic acid and sodium and potassium chloride. Blood samples were taken at slaughter for analyses of hematocrit value, erythrocyte and leukocyte counts, and glucose, lactate and cortisol concentrations. Post-mortem measures of meat color and pH were made at 24h and color, shear force and cooking loss on meat from 20 animals at 28 days. The AM supplementation resulted in lower hematocrit value, erythrocyte count and glucose level (P<0.05), higher a* (P<0.0001) and b* (P<0.0001) at 24h and lower b* (P<0.05) at 28 days. Thus AM treatment improved some stress blood indicators and meat color and therefore merits further investigation.