<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p> The objective of the study was to determine the effect of caponizing Greenleg Partridge cockerels on slaughter parameters and meat quality. In total 80 Greenleg Partridge cockerels were assigned to two groups with 40 birds per group. Group I (control) consisted of uncastrated cockerels and group II contained birds that were castrated at 8 weeks of age. Birds were kept until 24 weeks of age and fed the same diet ad libitum. Body weight was recorded at 1, 8, 16 and 24 weeks of age. Dressing percentage, proportion of breast and leg muscles, giblets and abdominal fat, and microstructure of the pectoralis superficialis muscle were determined postmortem. Physicochemical characteristics of meat (pH, CIE L*a*b* colour, water holding capacity, drip loss, thawing loss, cooking loss, shear force, texture parameters and chemical composition) were determined and sensory evaluation was performed. The castration of Greenleg Partridge cockerels contributed to increases in body weight, dressing percentage, and carcass muscle and fat content, and changed the colour of bird skin and muscles. The leg muscles of capons were characterized by higher pH24h, better water holding capacity, a tendency for higher fat concentration, and better sensory quality. The breast muscles of castrated cockerels lost more water and were tougher than the same muscles from uncastrated cockerels, but received better scores for flavour. In conclusion, the results of this study indicate that the caponized Greenleg Partridge cockerels can be used as a valuable material for production of high quality meat.</p></abstract>

The objective of the study was to determine the effect of caponizing Greenleg Partridge cockerels on slaughter parameters and meat quality. In total 80 Greenleg Partridge cockerels were assigned to two groups with 40 birds per group. Group I (control) consisted of uncastrated cockerels and group II contained birds that were castrated at 8 weeks of age. Birds were kept until 24 weeks of age and fed the same diet ad libitum. Body weight was recorded at 1, 8, 16 and 24 weeks of age. Dressing percentage, proportion of breast and leg muscles, giblets and abdominal fat, and microstructure of the pectoralis superficialis muscle were determined postmortem. Physicochemical characteristics of meat (pH, CIE L*a*b* colour, water holding capacity, drip loss, thawing loss, cooking loss, shear force, texture parameters and chemical composition) were determined and sensory evaluation was performed. The castration of Greenleg Partridge cockerels contributed to increases in body weight, dressing percentage, and carcass muscle and fat content, and changed the colour of bird skin and muscles. The leg muscles of capons were characterized by higher pH24h, better water holding capacity, a tendency for higher fat concentration, and better sensory quality. The breast muscles of castrated cockerels lost more water and were tougher than the same muscles from uncastrated cockerels, but received better scores for flavour. In conclusion, the results of this study indicate that the caponized Greenleg Partridge cockerels can be used as a valuable material for production of high quality meat.

Effect of Caponization on Meat Quality of Greenleg Partridge Cockerels

Department of Animal Genetic Resources Conservation

Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding

Department of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, National Research Institute of Animal Production, 32-083 Balice n. Kraków, Poland

Annals of Animal Science

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

{"article-title":"Effect of Caponization on Meat Quality of Greenleg Partridge Cockerels"}

The objective of the study was to determine the effect of caponizing Greenleg Partridge cockerels on slaughter parameters and meat quality. In total 80...

Effect of Caponization on Meat Quality of Greenleg Partridge Cockerels

Published Online: Apr 23, 2015

Page range: 541 - 553

Received: Jul 11, 2014

Accepted: Nov 25, 2014

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/aoas-2015-0002

Keywords
caponization, males, native breed, growth performance, meat quality

© by Jolanta Calik

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Effect of Caponization on Meat Quality of Greenleg Partridge Cockerels

Published Online: Apr 23, 2015

Page range: 541 - 553

Received: Jul 11, 2014

Accepted: Nov 25, 2014

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/aoas-2015-0002

Keywordscaponization, males, native breed, growth performance, meat quality

© by Jolanta Calik

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
caponization, males, native breed, growth performance, meat quality