Carcass and Meat Quality Characteristics of Native Chicken Reared under Backyard and Farm Setting in Karnataka.

Background: The commercial rearing of native chicken has been gaining importance due to higher demand for natural and organic meat. In this context the present study was designed to compare the carcass and meat quality characteristics of native chicken reared under backyard system as compared to native chicken reared under farm setting in Karnataka. Methods: Sixty (30 backyard and 30 farm reared) native birds were used to evaluate the carcass characteristics viz., dressing per cent, yield of cut up parts and meat bone ratio. Breast muscle was used to evaluate physico-chemical (pH, WHC, colour, drip loss and cooking loss), compositional (proximate composition, cholesterol content and collagen content), structural characteristics (muscle fibre diameter, sarcomere length, shear force) and sensory characteristics. Result: A significant difference (P<0.05) in live weight, carcass weight and dressing per centage was evident in backyard native chicken (BNC) and farm reared native chicken with higher weight being recorded in FNC, whereas no significance could be observed in yield of various primal cuts between them. Physico-chemical and compositional characteristics revealed no significant difference, whereas farm reared birds had lower shear force and collagen compared to backyard birds. Sensory evaluation revealed no negative influence on any of the eating quality indicating that commercial rearing of native chicken could be advocated for faster growth of native birds without compromising on the quality of meat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]