Effects of graded levels of dietary Saccharomyces cerevisiae on growth performance and meat quality in broiler chickens

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of various dietary levels of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SC) on the growth performance and meat quality (i.e., tenderness and oxidative stability) of Ross broiler chickens. Two hundred and forty day-old broiler chicks were fed four experimental diets with graded levels of SC at 0.0, 0.3, 1.0 and 3.0%. Each treatment consisted of six cages with 10 chicks per cage. Feed and water were provided ad libitum, throughout the experiment that lasted for 5 wk. Birds were switched from starter to finisher diets at 3 wk of age. The average BW gains of broiler chickens increased (linear p < 0.05) during either 0-3 or 0-5 wk of age as dietary SC levels increased. A linear effect (p < 0.05) of SC on feed intake during either 4-5 wk or 0-5 wk of ages was also monitored. The addition of SC to the control diet significantly lowered shear forces in raw breast, raw thigh, and boiled drumstick meats (linear p < 0.05). Upon incubation, 2-thio-barbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) values increased gradually in breast and thigh meats while more dramatic increase was noted in skin samples. The TBARS values of either breast or thigh meats were not significantly affected (p > 0.05) by dietary treatments up to 10 d of incubation. At 15 d of incubation, TBARS values of breast and thigh meats from all SC-treated groups were significantly lower (p < 0.05) than those of the control. It appears that dietary SC could enhance growth performance of broiler chickens, and improve tenderness and oxidative stability of broiler meats.