Physicochemical properties and meat quality of free-range chicken depending on sex

Abstract There is an increasing interest in free-range poultry with the increasing focus on animal welfare. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of sex on physicochemical traits, chemical composition, muscle fibers, mineral, amino acids and fatty acids contents in muscle of free-range Dong’an chicken (DAC). Thirty-two (16 males and 16 females) DACs were raised under the same conditions and slaughtered at 28 weeks of age. Males had a higher (p < 0.05) pH45min, redness value, and lower (p < 0.05) water loss rate, crude fat, and crude ash when compared with females in breast muscle. Males presented a higher (p < 0.05) cooking loss, moisture, muscle fiber density, and amino acid (Gly, Ala, Pro) contents, and lower (p < 0.05) yellowness value and crude fat in thigh muscle. The sex of DAC significantly affected (p < 0.05) the contents of C14:0, C18:0, C18:1, C20:3n6, and C22:6n. The crude fat and monounsaturated fatty acids contents in breast and thigh muscles of females were higher (p < 0.05) than that of males. The results of this study are a valuable contribution to describing the quality and nutritional composition of indigenous breeds of yellow-feathered broilers in free-range system.