Effect of Farming System Type on Broilers’ Antioxidant Status, Performance, and Carcass Traits: An Industrial-Scale Production Study

Evgenia Fotou, Vasiliki Moulasioti, Georgios A. Papadopoulos (), Dimitra Kyriakou, Maria-Eleni Boti, Vassilios Moussis, Maria Papadami, Constantinos Tellis, Apostolos Patsias, Ioannis Sarrigeorgiou, Alexandros Theodoridis, Peggy Lymberi, Vasileios Tsiouris (), Vassilios Tsikaris and Demokritos Tsoukatos
Additional contact information
Evgenia Fotou: Department of Chemistry, Section of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Ioannina, University Campus, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
Vasiliki Moulasioti: Department of Chemistry, Section of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Ioannina, University Campus, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
Georgios A. Papadopoulos: Laboratory of Animal Husbandry, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Dimitra Kyriakou: Department of Chemistry, Section of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Ioannina, University Campus, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
Maria-Eleni Boti: Department of Chemistry, Section of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Ioannina, University Campus, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
Vassilios Moussis: Department of Chemistry, Section of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Ioannina, University Campus, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
Maria Papadami: Department of Chemistry, Section of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Ioannina, University Campus, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
Constantinos Tellis: Department of Chemistry, Section of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Ioannina, University Campus, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
Apostolos Patsias: Microbiology and Chemical Laboratory, Pindos APSI, Rodotopi, 45500 Ioannina, Greece
Ioannis Sarrigeorgiou: Immunology Laboratory, Immunology Department, Hellenic Pasteur Institute (HPI), 127, Vasilissis Sofias Avenue, 11521 Athens, Greece
Alexandros Theodoridis: Laboratory of Livestock Production Economics, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Peggy Lymberi: Immunology Laboratory, Immunology Department, Hellenic Pasteur Institute (HPI), 127, Vasilissis Sofias Avenue, 11521 Athens, Greece
Vasileios Tsiouris: Microbiology and Chemical Laboratory, Pindos APSI, Rodotopi, 45500 Ioannina, Greece
Vassilios Tsikaris: Department of Chemistry, Section of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Ioannina, University Campus, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
Demokritos Tsoukatos: Department of Chemistry, Section of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Ioannina, University Campus, 45110 Ioannina, Greece

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 11, 1-12

Abstract: The global demand for improvement in the welfare conditions of broilers has generated the necessity to implement alternative rearing systems as well as less intensive growth hybrids. The majority of the data on alternative farming methods, notwithstanding their abundance, are the result of small-scale experiments. The present extended field study examined the effect of two different industrial farming systems on broilers’ antioxidant status, performance, and meat quality, including 13 replicates of each industrial breeding system (intensive conventional; free range) and two different chicken genotypes (fast growth; slow growth). The duration of the study was 51 months, and the total number of broilers was 260.000 for the conventional and 78.000 for the free-range system. The results showed that fast-growth chicks demonstrated a more satisfactory performance (in terms of body weight gain (BWG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) with p ≤ 0.001), reduced serum lipid oxidation ( p ≤ 0.05), and more tender meat. Contrarily, slow-growth chickens presented significantly higher total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in serum and thigh muscle ( p ≤ 0.001), significantly lower ( p ≤ 0.05) thigh muscle oxidation (in terms of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, TBARS), increased protein and decreased fat content ( p ≤ 0.05), and better smell, taste, color, and texture. In conclusion, the free-range farming system for slow-growth chickens may result in an overall higher nutritional value, sensory score, and serum and thigh muscle antioxidant profile than the conventional farming system for fast-growth broilers. However, fast-growth broilers exhibit better performance and might undergo less stress.

Keywords: fast-growing chickens; slow-growing chickens; growth performance; antioxidant status; organoleptic characteristics; industrial production; oxidative stress; meat quality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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