What does this research mean for the field?

Incorporating indigenous leaf meals as dietary feed supplements in broiler chickens maintains the sensory quality and consumer acceptability of the meat without adverse effects. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to evaluate the impact of indigenous leaf meals on the sensory quality of broiler chicken meat.

June 1, 2026Open Access

Sensory Acceptability of Broiler Chicken Meat Supplemented with Selected Indigenous Leaf Meals

Key Points

This research aims to evaluate the impact of indigenous leaf meals on the sensory quality of broiler chicken meat.
Experimental broilers received varying levels of indigenous leaf meals as dietary supplements.
Consumer acceptability tests were conducted using standardized meat samples and a trained panel.
Sensory attributes like tenderness, juiciness, and flavor were rigorously analyzed.
All dietary treatments received favorable consumer acceptability ratings ranging from 'Like Moderately' to 'Like Very Much'.
No significant differences were noted among dietary treatments (p > 0.05) for all sensory parameters.
Moderate inclusion levels yielded higher mean scores for tenderness and flavor compared to control and high-inclusion groups.

Abstract

This study systematically evaluated the physiological and organoleptic effects of incorporating selected indigenous leaf meals as dietary feed supplements on the post-harvest sensory quality of broiler chicken meat. Over the course of the production cycle, experimental broilers were subjected to varying inclusion levels of these localized botanical supplements to determine their viability as sustainable nutritional alternatives. To assess consumer perception, representative samples of the broiler meat were standardized, prepared, and subjected to a comprehensive consumer acceptability test utilizing a trained panel. The sensory attributes rigorously analyzed during the evaluation included general appearance, objective tenderness, tissue juiciness, flavor profile intensity, and aroma characteristics. The empirical results demonstrated that all experimental treatments successfully obtained favorable consumer acceptability ratings, falling strictly within the qualitative spectrum of “Like Moderately” to “Like Very Much. ” Inferential statistical analysis revealed no significant differences (p > 0. 05) among the diverse dietary treatments across all measured sensory parameters. This lack of statistical variance conclusively indicates that the integration of indigenous leaf meals into poultry formulations does not adversely affect or diminish the core eating qualities of the resulting meat. Interestingly, subtle variations were observed in the descriptive data; treatments featuring moderate inclusion levels yielded slightly higher mean scores for tenderness, juiciness, flavor, and aroma compared to both the control groups and high-inclusion treatments. These findings clearly demonstrate the biological and commercial potential of indigenous leaf meals as highly sustainable, cost-effective, and ecologically viable feed supplements. Ultimately, this dietary strategy optimizes feed resources and reduces production overheads while securely maintaining the baseline sensory acceptability and consumer-driven quality standards of broiler chicken meat.

Sensory Acceptability of Broiler Chicken Meat Supplemented with Selected Indigenous Leaf Meals

Key Points

Abstract

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