Citric acid in the diet of male Venda chickens: Effects on carcass characteristics and physico-chemical attributes

Abstract

This experiment was conducted to determine the effects of citric acid (CA) on carcass characteristics and physico-chemical attributes of male Venda chickens. A total of 200 male, one-day-old Venda chicks were distributed in a completely randomized design with four treatments and five replicates of 10 chickens each. The treatments were as follows: four diets with citric acid supplementation of 0, 12.5, 25, and 50g CA/kg. In this study, the live weight, carcass weight, thigh weight, drumstick weight, and carcass yield were higher in CA₂₅ than in other treatments. The wing weight was higher in CA_12.5 than in CA₀. The highest value was determined in CA₀, followed by CA_12.5, and CA₂₅, respectively, according to pH_{24 h}, pH_{48 h}, pH_{72 h}, cooking loss, as well as shear force. The lowest value was recorded in CA₅₀ as expected. The pH_{24 h}, pH_{48 h}, pH_{72 h}, cooking loss, and shear force were found to be similar. The current study indicates that 12.5 and 50 g CA/kg can be used easily in the diet of male Venda chickens without any negative effects.