Effect of feeding and genotype on the lipid profile of organic chicken meat

The effects of partial substitution of soybean (SB) with faba bean (FB) and of genotypes [fast-growing Cobb 700 (FG), medium-growing naked-neck Kabir (MG), slow-growing Brown Classic Lohman (SG)] on the lipid composition as well as the meat quality attributes of chickens reared under organic conditions were evaluated. A total of 720 1-day-old male chicks were equally divided into three groups according to genotype and raised for 81 (MG and FG) or 96 days (SG): half birds of each genotype received either SB grower diet or FB grower diet. Meat from SG and MG birds exhibited a lower lipid content than that from FG birds. Both in breast and thigh meat, MUFA were significantly increased from SG to MG and FG. SG meat contained the highest amounts of either arachidonic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, or docosapentaenoic acid, but the lowest amounts of a-linolenic acid. Total PUFA gradually decreased from SG to MG and FG birds (413, 358, and 324 g/kg of fat), as well as total n-6 and total n-3. The Delta 5- plus Delta6-desaturase index was 54.0, 34.4, and 23.6 for SG, MG, and FG birds, respectively. The n-6/n-3 ratio was lower in SG and MG than in FG birds. The partial replacement of SB with FB had a lesser effect than the genotype on the meat quality characteristics.