Effect of Necrotic Enteritis on Breast Meat Quality in Broiler Chickens

Abstract Necrotic enteritis (NE) is a significant enteric disease that impairs broiler production, but its effects on subsequent meat quality are not fully characterized. This study aimed to investigate the impact of a clinical NE challenge on the breast meat quality of broiler chickens. A total of 240 one-day-old Ross 708 male broiler chicks were randomly allocated to two treatments: a control (CON) and an NE-challenged (NE) group, with six replicate pens per treatment (20 birds/pen). On day 14, birds in the NE group received a 10X dose of coccidiosis vaccine, followed by an oral inoculation with Clostridium perfringens (approx. 2.8 × 108 CFU/mL) on day 19. CON birds were mock-challenged with sterile fluid thioglycolate medium. Growth performance was also monitored for 42 days. On day 40, one bird per pen was randomly selected for the collection of the Pectoralis major muscle (CON, n = 6; NE, n = 6) to evaluate meat quality parameters, approximate composition, pH, color (L*, a*, b*), cooking loss, and puncture force. Jejunal lesion scores were recorded to confirm the disease challenge. Data were analyzed using a t-test to compare the two treatment groups. The NE challenge was successfully induced, with NE birds showing higher jejunal lesion scores compared to CON birds (P 0.05). The NE challenge increased mortality (23% vs. 3%) and negatively affected growth performance (P 0.05). Over the 42-day trial, NE-challenged birds had lower body weight gain (2.16 vs. 2.58 kg; P 0.05), and a poorer feed conversion ratio (1.890 vs. 1.488; P 0.05) compared to CON birds. Regarding meat quality, breast muscle from the NE group exhibited higher cooking loss (P 0.01) and greater puncture force (P 0.01), indicating reduced water-holding capacity and tougher meat. Furthermore, breast meat from NE birds was darker, with a lower L* value (P 0.05), while no differences were found for a* or b* values (P 0.05). No significant differences were observed in approximate composition or pH between the groups (P 0.05). In conclusion, a clinical NE challenge not only impaired broiler growth performance and survivability but also had significant negative effects on breast meat quality, resulting in a product that is tougher, darker, and has a lower water-holding capacity. These findings suggest that the economic impact of NE extends beyond production losses to include detrimental changes to the final meat product, which could be undesirable for the market.