Effect of choline chloride supplementation to diets containing different levels of fat on performance and meat quality of broiler chickens under heat stress condition

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Abstract

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of choline chloride supplementation in diets containing different levels of fat on the performance, carcass composition and meat quality of broiler chickens under heat stress condition. Broiler chicks fed with one of six treatments contained 2 levels of fat (zero and 5 percent) and 3 levels of choline chloride (zero, 0.1 and 0.2 percent). Birds were exposed daily 4 hours to 35ْc from 22 up to 42 days of age. Broiler chicks were fed diets containing 5 percent fat had significantly higher weight gain during starter and whole period of experiment. The supplementation of choline chloride to diets led to significant increase of feed intake and weight gain during whole period of experiment. The utilization of diets containing 5 percent fat led to increase of breast and abdominal fat weight. The supplementation of choline chloride led to significant increase of carcass, breast and tight weight. The index of a* value in broiler chicks fed diet supplemented with 0.1 percent choline chloride significantly decreased rather than those birds received no choline chloride, but there was no significant difference for L* and b* indexes. The utilization of fat at 5 percent led to significant increase of malondialdehyde value. Broiler chicks received diets without or 0.2 percent choline chloride significantly had higher water holding capacity than those birds received diet containing 0.1 percent choline chloride. The supplementation of choline chloride to diets had no significant effect on meat pH values.

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