Effect of dried fermented broiler processing plant sludge inclusion in broiler diets on bird performance, carcass composition and meat quality

About 70% of the total costs of on farm poultry production are attributable to feed costs. Poultry processing residues having nutrient profiles similar to those of conventional feedstuffs used in poultry diets, if handled properly, can be transformed into potential feedstuffs at reasonable prices. An experiment was conducted to determine the suitability of the inclusion of fermented broiler processing plant sludge (FBPPS) in broiler diets and the effects on productive performance, carcass composition and meat quality traits. A total of 420 day-old broilers were randomly assigned to one of three treatments with 10 replications of 14 birds per pen and raised in a triphasic scheme to market age (42 d) in a poultry house at the Agricultural Experiment Station in Lajas. Treatments consisted of three isonitrogenous and isocaloric diets in each phase with inclusion of 0 (control), 5, and 10% FBPPS. Birds and feed were weighted weekly until 42 d of age to determine body weight (BW), feed intake (FI) and feed conversion (FC). At the end of the finishing period (slaughter), 30 birds per treatment were randomly selected and processed to evaluate carcass composition and meat quality. Carcass yield (CY), major cuts yield (MCY), and fat pad yield (FPY) were calculated as a percent of BW prior to slaughter. The breast, one thigh, and one drumstick were deboned and yields of total deboned meat (TDM), dark meat (DMY), and white meat (WMY) calculated as a percentage of live BW. In addition, the proportion of muscle, skin, and bone of each major cut was calculated. The Pectoralis major muscles were evaluated for pH, color (L*, a*, b* values), water-holding capacity (WHC), shear value (SV) and for flavor intensity (FL) by a sensory panel using an hedonic scale.; A higher (P<0.05) BW together with lower FI and FC were observed for birds fed with 10% FBPPS inclusion during the first two weeks of age, but no significant differences in these traits were found in the grower and finisher periods (21-42 d). Birds fed with 5 and 10% FBPPS inclusion showed similar CY (x¯ = 66.28), TDM yield (x¯ = 27.92%) and DMY (x¯ = 14.23%), but were significantly lower than those of the control diet (68.75%, 14.82% and 15.06%, respectively). No differences among treatments were observed for carcass weight (x¯ = 1,472 g), WMY (x¯ = 14.07%), MCY, and FPY (x¯ = 2.23%). The dietary inclusion of FBPPS had no effect on pH (x¯ = 5.8), color, WHC (x¯ = 30.96%), SV (x¯ = 1.08 kg), nor FL of breast fillets. The results indicate that an inclusion of up to 10% FBPPS in broiler diets can be used without detriment to bird performance, carcass traits, and meat quality, while sustaining adequate processing yields.