Meat quality of broiler chickens affected by cadmium toxicity

Abstract

A 114 g decrease in the live weight gain and a 160 g increase in the mixed feed intake may become evident at the fifth maximum permitted level (MPL) for cadmium added to a broiler-chicken diet. The concentration of the pollutant increased two and a half as high in meat. A high concentration of the pollutant in the mixed fodder could cause decrease in the contents of muscle tissue fat, lysine and leucine, and vitamins B₂, B₆, and B₁₂ by 6.4, 2.6–4.0, and 1.0–8.0%, respectively. In addition, the level of water reliably became approximately one and a half higher in tissues; the contents of threonine and vitamin B₅ increased by 20.5 and 0.92%, respectively; the concentrations of chlorine and potassium decreased by 2.5 and 4.2%, respectively; the contents of iron and manganese increased by 1.7 and 1.8%, respectively.