Estudo comparativo da qualidade da carne de peito (Pectoralis major) de frango caipira e de frango de granja (Gallus domesticus)

Abstract

Brazil is a major producer and the world's largest exporter of chicken meat. An animal protein of economic and nutritional importance. The food market from creating and handling animals in an artisanal way, with healthy and more natural food, has become an emerging and growing trend in recent years. Some studies have demonstrated better genetic characteristics, and functional and technological qualities for these meats from, free-range animals. The aim of the study was to compare the physicochemical characteristics of breast meat (Pectoralis major) from chicken from different production systems (conventional and free-range). Three samples of chicken from the conventional system and three samples of free-range chicken were bought from markets and producers in the region of Campo Mourão – Paraná. Analyzes were performed in triplicate, totaling 18 samples. The analyzes performed were pH, objective color (L*, a* and b*), cooking weight loss (PPC) and water holding capacity (WRC). It was possible to observe that the treatments differed statistically from each other, in all the physicochemical parameters analyzed.The average pH values ranged from 5.61 to 5.94 for conventional chicken samples and from 5.71 to 5.83 for freerange chicken. PPC was significantly higher in samples of free-range chicken (35.52 to 46.34%) than in free range chicken (33.98 to 43.16%). The CRA was better and higher for free-range chicken samples (69.30 to 80.76%) than for farm chicken samples (60.63 to 66.78%). The average values for luminosity (L*) were within the normal range, ranging from 47.50 to 53.28 for free-range chickens and from 47.03 to 55.76 for farm chickens, as well as the a* and b* chromatids, noting that it had a more reddish coloration tendency for the free-range chicken samples where the average values of a* ranged from 3.05 to 7.72, while for the farm samples the values were from 1.54 to 5.87. Such significant differences found in this work can be explained mainly by the difference in age at slaughter, the degree of physical activity, and feeding of the animals, among other characteristics observed in the creation by the conventional system and by the alternative system. Confirming data from the literature, which state that some physicochemical quality characteristics, such as CRA, coloring, functional properties of the myofibrillar protein, may be better in animals raised by the unconventional system.