Effects of Dietary Supplementation of Mulberry Leaves Powder on Chicken Meat Quality Stored during Cold Storage

This study was investigated the effects of supplementation diets with mulberry leaves powder on pH, TBARS (thiobarbituric acid reactive substance) and VBN (volatile basic nitrogen) heating loss, WHC (water holding capacity), and drip loss of chicken meat. One hundred sixty broiler were fed diets for five weeks containing 0% mulberry leaves powder (Control), 1% mulberry leaves powder (T1), 2% mulberry leaves powder (T2), and 3% mulberry leaves powder (T3). At the end of this experiment, broiler were slaughtered, and stored at 4 degrees C for 10 d. As storage time increased, all treatment groups resulted in increased pH, TBARS, VBN and drip loss (p<0.05). The TBARS and VBN were significantly decreased by the supplementation of mulberry leaves powder compared to the control (p<0.05). T3 results in much better TBARS and VBN than other treatment groups. Especially, T3 was significantly (p<0.05) more effective in improving self life compared to other treatment groups. Heating loss and drip loss were no significantly different among treatment group. In conclusion, these data indicate that supplementation of 3% mulberry leaves powder were most effective in decreasing TBARS and VBN.