Nutritional Factors Influencing Carcase Fat in Broilers—A Review

SummaryExcessive fat deposition in broilers, which reduces the profit margin for poultry processors and makes effluent disposal difficult, responds to dietary manipulation.When the energy consumed by the bird exceeds that required for maintenance and growth, the remainder is deposited as fat. It is the ratio of energy to good quality protein in broiler diets rather than the energy level per se, that influences carcase fat deposition. Furthermore, the effect of a given energy to protein ratio is independent of the source of the energy.The addition of specific amino acids in order to improve the amino acid balance of the diet affects fat deposition, as does the inclusion of excessive amounts of individual amino acids or a low quality protein.The composition of carcase fat is an important factor in determining processing loss, product quality and shelf life. A carcase with relatively unsaturated fat tends to be greasier, more susceptible to oxidation and contributes more fat to processing effluent than a more saturated carcase. The composition of carcase fat depends upon the degree of hepatic lipogenesis and the nature of the dietary fat.