Carcass trait, meat lipid profile and meat quality of broiler chickens fed diets containing high inclusion level of high quality cassava (Manihot esculenta) peel meal

The current hike in price of conventional energy feedstuff warrants an intensified effort for a sustainable alternative that would not compromise performance and meat quality of poultry birds. The study evaluated the carcass trait and meat quality of finisher broiler chickens fed diets containing highly processed cassava peel meal at 50% inclusion level in replacement of maize. Three hundred and twenty Cobb500 broiler chickens were allocated to 4 dietary treatments on a weight equalisation basis. Diet 1 = control diet (corn-soybean meal based diet) containing 4.0 g kg-¹ digestible methionine (MET), 0.96 g kg-¹ digestible lysine, diet 2 = diet containing 50% replacement of maize in diet 1 with high quality cassava peel meal and containing 4.0 g kg-¹ digestible MET, 0.96 g kg-¹ digestible lysine, diets 3 and 4 are similar to diet 2 except with higher MET and lysine concentrations. Diet 3 contains 4.4 g kg-¹ digestible MET, 1.02 g kg-¹ digestible lysine, and diet 4 contains 4.8 g kg-¹ digestible MET, 1.08 g kg-¹ digestible lysine. The study lasted for 3 weeks (finisher phase). The highest slaughtered, carcass, and small intestinal weight were recorded in birds fed diet 2 while the birds fed diet 3 had the least abdominal fat value (p < 0.05). The water holding capacity and cooking loss percentage was highest in the meat of the chickens fed diet 4. The meat colour (redness, yellowness, and lightness) of chickens fed diet 4 recorded the highest value. The very low density of lipoprotein and triglyceride concentrations were least in the meat of chickens fed diet 2 (p<0.05). It can be concluded that supplementation of methionine/lysine to high quality cassava peel meal improved the carcass trait and meat quality of the broiler chickens.