CARACTERÍSTICAS DE MACIEZ DA CARNE DE PEITO DE FRANGOS DE CORTE DE CRESCIMENTO LENTO ABATIDOS EM DIFERENTES IDADES

The was study carried out with the aim of evaluating the influence of the formulated diet and the use of a commercial mixture on the meat softness charactheristics of broiler chickens of slowing-growing slaughtered at different ages. A total of 600 male and female chicks, one day old white naked neck strain, were distributed in a completely randomized experimental design, 2x3 factorial scheme, two diets and three slaughter ages, with five replicates of 20 birds each. For the determination of the meat tenderness of chicken breast, 6 birds were slaughtered at 56, 70 and 84 days, totaling 18 birds slaughtered. The analyzes performed were: weight loss by cooking, shear force and myofibrillar fragmentation index. There was interaction of diet and age of slaughter for myofibrillar fragmentation index. The diet of comercial mixture provided higher indices of myofibrillar fragmentation at 84 days of age, but did not differ from 70 days. The lowest value for cooking loss was obtained at 84 days regardless of diet and shear force were not influenced by the treatments.