Determination of the quality and bacterial content of breast meat of broilers reared under different stocking density and fed diets supplemented with fermented mealworm larvae meal

This study was planned to to examine the quality and bacterial content of the breast meat of broiler chickens, which was reared under normal and high stocking densities and fed diets supplemented with fermented mealworm larvae meal as antibacterial feed additive. In the research, breast meats of a total of 60 broilers, 10 broilers from each treatment groups, slaughtered at the end of a 42-day in vivo study were used. In the in vivo study in which the breast meats used in this thesis were obtained, broilers reared under 2 different stocking densities (normal: 12 per m2 and high: 18 per m2) were fed diets without the addition of fermented mealworm larva meal (control), fermented mealworm larva meal with Lactobacillus plantarum (FMLMLP) or Lactobacillus brevis (FMLMLB) (0.4% level). In the study, pH, water holding capacity, drip and cooking loss as quality parameters and total aerobic bacteria, coliform and lactobacilli bacteria content as bacterial content were examined. According to the results of the research; rearing at high stocking density significantly reduces the pH value at 15 minutes and 24 hours, water holding capacity and lactobacillus bacteria content on days 0 and 14 of storage of broiler breast meat; but, cooking loss, drip loss on day 7, total aerobic bacteria content on days 0 and 14 of storage and coliform bacteria content on day 14 of storage significantly increased compared to rearing at normal stcoking density. Feeding with FMLMLP and FMLMLB diets significantly reduces the pH value at 24 hours after slaughter, drip losses on the 3rd and 7th days, cooking loss and the total aerobic bacteria content on the 0th and 14th days of storage, but, increased the water holding capacity and lactobacilli bacteria content on days 0 and 14 of storage compared to the control diet. As a result; fermented mealworm larvae meal with lactobacillus plantarum or lactobacillus brevis can be supplemented to diet as an antibacterial feed additive in order to improve the quality parameters and bacterial content of breast meat broilers reared under normal or high stocking densities.