Carcass yield and meat quality of broiler chickens subjected to cyclic heat stress and fed orange frit (Citrus sinensis)

• Grant number: 24/22062-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2025
• End date: March 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Nutrition and Feeding
• Principal Investigator: José Roberto Sartori
• Grantee: Rafael Lopes Hidalgo
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Considering that Brazil is predominantly a tropical country with naturally high temperatures, combined with global climate changes that forecast a significant rise in the planet's temperature throughout the century, heat stress emerges as one of the major challenges in broiler poultry farming. Consequently, strategies to mitigate the impact of elevated temperatures are highly sought after by producers, with phytogenic additives presenting themselves as a viable option due to their antioxidant properties and ability to enhance the poultry's tolerance to heat. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the effects of orange frit (orange peel fragment) on the carcass yield and meat quality of broilers subjected to cyclic heat stress. For this purpose, 216 one-day-old chicks will be housed under a completely randomized design in a factorial arrangement, encompassing two climatic chambers (thermoneutral and cyclic heat stress) and two levels of frit inclusion (0.00% and 0.65%), with nine replications of six broilers each, resulting in four treatments. Carcass yield, cuts yield, and meat quality will be assessed based on parameters such as pH, color, drip loss, and cooking loss.