The Effect of Vitamin C and E Supplementation into Drinking Water on Carcass Characteristics, Meat Quality and Intestinal Microflora During Pre-Slaughter Feed Withdrawal in Broiler Chickens

This study investigates the effects of adding vitamin C and E to the drinking water on carcass characteristics, meat quality and intestinal microflora populations in broiler chickens during the 10-h pre-slaughter feed withdrawal (FW) period. As study materials, forty male broilers at the age of 42 days were used. The broilers were randomly divided into four groups: Control (non-vitamin, NV), vitamin C (1000 mg/L, VC), vitamin E (500 mg/L, VE) and vitamin combination (1000 mg/L VC+500 mg/L VE, VCE). In the study, vitamin additions didn’t affect carcass characteristics, visceral weights and the pH values of the digestive system (P>0.05). The addition of VC and VE increased the weight of the Bursa of Fabricius, and the addition of VE increased the weight of thymus (P<0.05). Additions of vitamin decreased tendency of carcass contamination (P<0.01) and increased pH45min and pH24h of thigh meat and pH24h of breast meat (P<0.05, P<0.01, P<0.01, respectively). While a* color intensity of breast and thigh meat increased with all vitamin supplements, L* and b* values of thigh meat decreased (P<0.01). Vitamin supplements, especially VE, reduced the drip loss of breast and thigh meat (P<0.05) and the pathogenic microorganism populations of intestinal contents (P<0.01). As a result, it is thought that the addition of 500 mg/L vitamin E to the drinking water of broiler chickens exposed to the pre-slaughter fasting period will be beneficial to improve meat quality and reduce intestinal pathogenic microorganism load. However, more extensive experimental studies are needed.