Herb Mate inclusion (Ilex paraguariensis) on breast meat quality of broilers

Herb mate (Ilex paraguariensis) has polyphenols, flavonoids, saponins and xanthine as compounds with anti-inflammatory properties, antimicrobial and antioxidant. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of including herb mate (Ilex paraguariensis) on breast meat quality of broilers at 42 days of age, after 120 days of freezing. Were used 800 broilers from 1 day old lineage "Cobb 500", distributed in a completely randomized design with four treatments and eight replications of 25 birds each. Experimental diets were formulated according to the breed manual for each phase, 100 % vegetable. Experimental treatments consisted in providing basal diet including four herb mate extract levels (0.1, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 %). At 42 days of age, eight birds per treatment were culled and after 120 days of freezing at - 20 ?C they were thawed at 5 ?C for 48 hours. Samples of pectoral muscle were collected and submitted to analysis of the following parameters of meat quality: shear force, cooking loss, water holding capacity, lightness, redness, yellowness. Statistical analyzes were performed by using GLM procedure of SAS (R) and in case of significant effect regression analyzes were performed. There was no effect (P > 0.05) for breast meat quality parameters between herb mate levels in study. Although there was no effect of herb mate inclusion to the evaluated characteristics, the results indicated that the use of phytogenic additive in diet maintained physical characteristics and meat quality of broilers breast, favouring the maintenance of product after freezing for 120 days. Therefore, the inclusion of herb mate as natural additive can be used by industry to maintain meat quality characteristics in longer storage periods.