The Relative Effect of Ethoxyquin Versus B.H.T on Broiler Performance and Pigmentation

UNTIL Palmer (1915) first demonstrated that dietary xanthophyll was the contributing factor which produced yellow pigmentation in the adipose tissue of: poultry, color was of little concern to the poultry industry. Since then, consumer preferences with respect to shank and carcass color have been studied and found to vary widely from one geographical location to another. For example, Benjamin and Pierce (1937) reported that the discriminating consumer desired pale yellow body fat and shanks as an indication that the poultry had been milk fed. In contrast, Hammond and Harshaw (1941) found a strong consumer preference toward deeply pigmented broilers, particularly in the New York Metropolitan Area. Although Ratcliff et al. (1959) reported a recent de-emphasis on broiler pigmentation in certain areas of the country, it appears that consumer preferences in thee major Eastern markets for highly pigmented broilers have changed very little over the past two decades. The continuing demand …