• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.265-273
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• 2011

This study was carried out to determine the effect of dietary supplementation of quercetin and methoxylated quercetin extracted from onions on chicken thigh meat quality during cold storage. For 35 days, 1-day-old 320 broiler chicks (Ross) were divided into 8 groups and supplemented the diet; basal diet only (CONTROL), CONTROL with antibiotics (AB), vitamin E 20 IU (VE20), vitamin E 200 IU (VE200), quercetin 20 ppm (QC20), quercetin 200 ppm (QC200), methoxylated quercetin 20 ppm (MQ20), and methoxylated quercetin 200 ppm (MQ200). After slaughtering the broilers, thighs were separated and analyzed the quality change of the meat during storage at $4^{\circ}C$ for 7 days. The meat quality factors such as pH, color, water holding capacity, and sensory characteristics of thigh meat were determined on the experiment day 0, 3, and 7. After slaughtering, the pH of AB, VE 20, QC 20, and MQ 200 showed no significant difference compare to that of CONTROL. However, VE 200 and QC 20 showed higher pH value than CONTROL on storage day 3. $L^*$ value of chicken thigh of MQ 20 was lower than CONTROL on storage day 0, however, no significant difference was found between CONTROL and treatments on storage day 3. Redness ($a^*$) of chicken thigh in CONTROL was increased during storage. QC 20, QC 200, and MQ 200 significantly reduced the $b^*$ value of chicken thigh (p<0.05). Water holding capacity of VE 20 and MQ 200 was significantly higher than the CONTROL on the day 0. Also, QC 200 showed higher WHC compare to the CONTROL. In sensory evaluation, overall acceptability of chicken thigh in quercetin and methoxylated quercetin group showed no significant differences compare to that of CONTROL by storage day 3. These results suggested that the quercetin and methoxylated quercetin could be used as additives to enhance broiler thigh meat quality such as pH and WHC without adverse effect on color and sensory characteristics.