The impact of non-ionizing radiation on the quantitative and qualitative indicators of chicken meat products

The growing interest in non-ionizing radiation and its potential biological effects has stimulated research into its application in animal husbandry. This article examines the impact of non-ionizing radiation, specifically extremely low-frequency pulsed electromagnetic fields (ELF-PEMF), on the productive indicators of dual-purpose chickens of the Dominant D959 crossbreed. Changes in the mass of eviscerated carcasses and selected internal organs were analyzed under the influence of different levels of extremely low-frequency non-ionizing radiation. Particular attention was paid to the qualitative characteristics of the meat – the content of crude protein in hydrolysates of breast muscle proteins in the experimental chickens. The study revealed no pathological changes in the internal organs of chickens after exposure to ELF-PEMF, confirming the biological safety of the applied irradiation modes regardless of the protein content in the diet. The results indicate that statistically significant changes in the examined parameters occur under certain exposure conditions. In particular, a reliable increase in the mass of the eviscerated carcass was observed under a 30-minute daily irradiation regimen over 150 days, with the chickens being fed diets either 15% higher or lower in protein content. The research suggests a potentially positive role of periodic ELF-PEMF exposure as an adaptogenic factor that helps maintain or even increase protein content in muscle tissue, especially under conditions of moderate stress and adaptive protein deficiency. At the same time, constant electromagnetic exposure under nutrient-deficient conditions was found to suppress protein metabolism. The data obtained support the prospect of using ELF-PEMF as a growth-promoting factor for chicken muscle mass, with constant exposure appearing more effective than periodic exposure. The mode of electromagnetic field exposure should be considered a significant regulator of metabolic processes capable of modulating protein metabolism efficiency depending on the organism's nutritional status. Further research should aim to explore the underlying mechanisms of this influence and to optimize the parameters for applying ELF-PEMF in poultry farming to achieve maximum productivity.