Chemical Treatment of Poultry Litter Does Not Affect the Chicken Meat Quality

Many studies have demonstrated the damaging effect of gases, such as ammonia in the production of broilers chickens, especially on the performance and blood parameters. However, few studies have evaluated the effect of using additives to treat poultry litter on the chicken meat quality. Thus, the goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of aluminum sulfate doses [Al₂(SO₄)₃·18H₂O] - (0, 200, 400 e 600 g/m²) to treat poultry litter and stocking density (12 and 14 birds/m²) on chicken meat quality traits. A total of 532 broiler male chicks Cobb 500^® presenting initial mean weight of 46g±2.3 were used and housed into a completely randomized experimental design, with 4x2 factorial arrangement, totaling eight treatments with seven replicates each. Standard industry diets were used throughout the study, including starter (0 to 21 d), grower (21 to 35 d) and finisher (35 to 42d) diets. At the end of the experimental period (42 days), 2 birds per replicate were randomly chosen and harvested. The traits analyzed in chicken meat were pH (24 h post mortem), color (L* a* b*), cooking loss, and shear force. Statistical analyses were performed used the proc MIXED SAS^® program, including the fixed effect of factors (aluminum sulfate and stocking density) and interactions. No interaction was detected between treatments for any meat quality trait evaluated (P > 0.05). The treatments with a highest sulfate levels and density presented the lowest cooking loss (28.80%). There was a curvilinear response (cubic) of aluminum sulfate doses for meat color on the a* value (P = 0.0214), with the addition of aluminum sulfate (0 to 200 g/m²) decreasing the a* value. However, the a* values increased when the doses of aluminum sulfate were 400 and 600 g/m². In conclusion, the addition of aluminum sulfate [Al₂ (SO₄)₃·18H₂O] and stocking densities evaluated did not affect chicken meat quality.