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PRINT ISSN : 2319-7692
Online ISSN : 2319-7706 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcmas@gmail.com / submit@ijcmas.com Editor-in-chief: Dr.M.Prakash Index Copernicus ICV 2018: 95.39 NAAS RATING 2020: 5.38 |
The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of sex and age on physico-chemical and organoleptic qualities of Rajasri chicken at three different ages i.e. 16th, 20th and 24thweeks of age. Day old chicks (n=144) were reared to the age of 16, 20 24 weeks of age under the deep litter system. Six male and six females were slaughtered at 16, 20 and 24 weeks of age in each trail of total four trails. The thigh muscle showed significantly (P<0.05) higher pH, Water Holding Capacity, myoglobin content, Muscle Fiber Diameter and Shear Force values than breast muscle and increased significantly (P<0.05) with an increase in age (from 16 to 24 weeks) in both sexes in the present study. Crude protein, crude fat and total ash percentages increased significantly (P<0.05) and moisture percent decreased significantly (P<0.05) with an increase in age (from 16 to 24 weeks) in both the muscles of either sex in the present study. Overall acceptability scores were found to be higher at 16th week chicken compared to the subsequent age groups studied and slaughter of birds at 16 weeks of age is desirable among all the age groups studied which showed good palatability.