Effect of organic and inorganic iron on iron content, fatty acid profile, content of malondialdehyde, texture and sensory properties of broiler meat

Iron is vital for almost all living organisms by participating in a wide range of metabolic processes. Despite its key role, iron deficiency in humans is common worldwide, often leading to significant health issues within the population. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of diets supplemented with organic and inorganic iron in different combinations on contents of iron and malondialdehyde (MDA), on fatty acids profiles, on texture properties and sensory quality of chicken meat. The feeding trial was carried out with Ross 308 broilers and lasted 35 days. In total, 1,000 broilers were assigned to 5 treatment groups. Each treatment was replicated four times. The following treatment have been included: Group I (control, fed with the standard compound feed), group II (standard compound feed with supplementation of 70 mg/kg iron sulphate and 72 mg/kg iron glycinate), group III (standard compound feed with supplementation of 144/kg mg iron glycinate), group IV (standard compound feed with supplementation of 150/kg mg iron sulphate) and group V (standard compound feed with supplementation of 72/kg mg iron glycinate). Broiler chickens were fed ad libitum. Treatments did not significantly affect performance of broilers. Iron content in breast muscle was highest in group V (3%), but lower in the other experimental groups (8 to 11%) compared with the control group (P > 0.05). Different amounts and sources of iron resulted in higher SFA, MUFA , and n-6/n-3 ratio, but in lower PUFA content in all experimental groups. MDA content of fresh breast and leg muscle was higher in all experimental groups (4–39% and 250 to 350%) in comparison with the control group, respectively (P < 0.05). After 3 months storage MDA content in breast muscle was 6 to 60% and in leg muscle 23 to 350% times higher than in the control group, respectively (P < 0.05). Treatments did not affect sensory properties such as odour, texture and taste of fresh and stored meat (3 months at minus 22°C). In conclusion, supplementation of iron does not affect performance and most quality attributes of the meat. But, the proposed lipid oxidation inducing effect of iron seems to be proven in thigh meat, probably due to the higher fat content.