Some Nutrient Contents and Sensory Properties of Organic Broiler Chicken Meat

Abstract

Consumer interest in alternative poultry products gradually increases. Reasons for consumers preference for these products is mainly due to their sensitivity to habits, product characteristics, animal welfare and environmental problems. Organic products are preferred because they are considered to be better in terms of reliability, taste, certain sensory properties and nutrient content. The research results show that organic broiler meat contains less fat, saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids and more protein and polyunsaturated fatty acids than traditional broiler meat. However, it is undeniable fact that it will be an important effect of the available forage feed sources to obtain at these results, especially in the outdoor area. Furthermore, it is reported that genotype and breeding systems may be effective on the sensory characteristics of organic chicken meat such as texture, color, tenderness, juiciness and flavor. However, it is stated that some nutrients and sensory properties of meat can be changed with the consumption of forage in designed pasture area and of live protein sources (insects, worms etc.) in here. It is declared that the Organic Agriculture Legislation in the Council of the European Union and in Turkey that it is necessary to reach the forage feed sources in addition to concentrate feed in organic poultry production. However, in the mentioned legislation, the limits of the practices are not clearly reported. In this review, it is mentioned that the organic broiler meat production to increase the other expectations of consumers rather than animal welfare by various management practices is possible.