Effect of dietary conjugated linoleic acid on the growth rate of live birds and on the abdominal fat content and quality of broiler meat

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the influence of dietary conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on the growth, body composition, abdominal fat accumulation, and meat quality in broilers. In Experiment 1, 50 broilers that were 3 wk old (total of 200 birds) were assigned to one of the four diets containing 0, 0.25, 0.5, or 1% CLA and were fed for 3 wk. In Experiment 2, 40 broilers that were 3 wk old (total of 120 birds) were assigned to one of the three diets containing 0, 2, or 3% CLA and fed for 5 wk. At the end of the 3-wk feeding trial, the average body weight of broilers for Experiment 1 was about 2.20 kg per bird for all treatments. For Experiment 2, after 5-wk feeding trial, the average body weights of birds were 4.04, 3.99, and 3.93 kg for the control, 2% CLA, and 3% CLA groups, respectively, with a non significant reduction in body weight as the levels of dietary CLA increased. There was no difference in abdominal fat weight, the total body fat, and protein content in broilers among the CLA treatments for Experiment 1. However, when the dietary CLA was increased to 2 or 3%, the total body fat content was reduced. The whole body fat content decreased from 14.2% in the control to 11.9 and 12.2% for 2 and 3% CLA, respectively. Dietary CLA at 2 and 3% levels influenced meat quality. After cooking, the breast meat from 2 or 3%, dietary CLA treatment was harder and drier, and the color was a little darker than that of the control. These changes could be caused by the decreased unsaturated fatty acid content in meat after CLA feeding, which increased the melting point of the fat.