The effect of season of transportation on the welfare of broilers and selected parameters of broiler meat quality

During breeding, especially during transportation from the farm to the slaughterhouse, poultry is exposed to various stressful factors that influence post-mortem muscle metabolism and, consequently, the meat quality. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of season of transportation on broiler welfare and broiler meat quality parameters: pH, colour and cooking loss t. For the purpose of the experiment, during the summer (July) and winter (November), twelve broilers were tested, reared on the same farm and belonged to the same flock of line hybrid Ross 308. Distance from the farm to the slaughterhouse was 130 km, and transport lasted 3 to 5 hours. Average values of temperature and relative humidity during transport in summer period were 20.60ºC and 65.64%, respectively, and in the winter period 14.42ºC and 69.14%, respectively. It was established that the samples of breast muscle and drumstick muscles of broiler chickens transported in summer had higher average L*(lightness) values. When the L*value of 56L* units, as the limit of PSE (pale, soft, exudative) meat, are applied on the results of the present study, it can be concluded that, in the summer, the share of pale meat in samples of breast and drumsticks was 75%, while in winter it was 33.34% for breasts and 16.67% for drumsticks. After transport, in the summer, pH values of breast and drumstick muscles (5.40 ± 0.20 and 5.71 ± 0.30, respectively) were significantly lower than the pH values measured after transport in winter (5.90 ± 0.18 and 6.46 ± 0.25, respectively). Lower values of cooking loss in the samples of breast muscle and drumstick samples (29.06 ± 2.80 and 29.69 ± 3.47, respectively) were found in broiler chickens transported in November, when exposed to lower temperatures. Between pH and cooking loss, and pH and L*values of samples of breast muscles and drumstick muscles studied after transport in summer and winter periods, negative correlation was determined.