Dietary Betaine Reduces the Negative Effects of Cyclic Heat Exposure on Growth Performance, Blood Gas Status and Meat Quality in Broiler Chickens
by
Majid Shakeri 1,*, 
Jeremy J. Cottrell 1
, Stuart Wilkinson 2, Hieu H. Le 1, 
Hafiz A. R. Suleria 1, Robyn D. Warner 1 and Frank R. Dunshea 1,*
Majid Shakeri 1,*, Jeremy J. Cottrell 1, Stuart Wilkinson 2, Hieu H. Le 1, Hafiz A. R. Suleria 1, Robyn D. Warner 1 and Frank R. Dunshea 1,*
1
Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
2
Feedworks Pty Ltd., Romsey, VIC 3434, Australia
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Agriculture 2020, 10(5), 176; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10050176
Received: 22 April 2020 / Accepted: 14 May 2020 / Published: 16 May 2020
Heat stress (HS) impairs growth performance and has a severe impact on lipid and protein metabolism, leading to serious adverse effects on meat quality. Forty-eight day-old-male Ross-308 chicks were assigned to two temperature conditions, thermoneutral or cyclical HS, and fed with either a control diet (CON) or the CON plus betaine (BET). Heat stress increased rectal temperature (p < 0.001), respiration rate (p < 0.001) and increased blood pH (p = 0.017), indicating that HS caused respiratory alkalosis. Heat stress reduced body weight during the final stage of growing period (p = 0.005), while BET improved it (p = 0.023). Heat stress tended to reduce breast muscle water content and drip loss (p = 0.089 and p = 0.082), while both were improved with BET (p = 0.008 and p = 0.001). Heat stress tended to reduce the myofibril fragmentation index (p = 0.081) whereas it increased with BET (p = 0.017). Heat stress increased thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (p = 0.017), while BET improved it (p = 0.008). Meat tenderness was not affected by HS, but was improved with BET (p < 0.001). In conclusion, BET improved growth performance over the latter stages of the growing period, and improved product quality of broiler chickens when chickens exposed to HS.
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Keywords:
cyclic heat stress; betaine; growth performance; meat quality; arterial blood gas; hormone activity; broiler chickens
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MDPI and ACS Style
Shakeri, M.; Cottrell, J.J.; Wilkinson, S.; Le, H.H.; Suleria, H.A.R.; Warner, R.D.; Dunshea, F.R. Dietary Betaine Reduces the Negative Effects of Cyclic Heat Exposure on Growth Performance, Blood Gas Status and Meat Quality in Broiler Chickens. Agriculture 2020, 10, 176.
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