Effect of Processed Cowpea-based Diets (V. unguiculata) on Meat and Sensory Characteristics of Broilers

Nowadays meat consumers are nowmindful of health, meaning that they buy meat that has a balanced nutritional profile, free from adulteration, and is not contaminated by microorganisms. The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of processing cowpeas on meat and sensory characteristics of broilers. A total of 210-day-old broiler chicks were randomly allocated into seven different feeding groups in a completely randomised design. Each dietary treatment was replicated three times with ten birds in each replicate. The control group contained maize-soybean meal (MS). The cowpea-based groups were: maize-soybean-dehulled boiled cowpea meal (MSDBC), maize- soybean-dehulled roasted cowpea meal (MSDRC), maize-soybean-dehulled cowpea meal (MSDC), maize-soybean-boiled cowpea meal (MSBC), maize-soybean-roasted cowpea meal (MSRC) and maize-soybean-untreated cowpea meal (MSUC). A total of fifteen birds (five per replicate) were randomly chosen and killed at the 42-day mark of the experiment. Meat samples were selected from the breasts to analyse meat quality and sensory characteristics. Forty trained panellists were randomly selected to conduct the organoleptic quality test of broiler meat. Meat from MS diet had the highest protein content of 22.5%, while meat from MSDBC treatment had the lowest (18.6%). Meat from raw cowpea-based diet had the highest fat content (1.3%) while meat from MSDBC had the lowest fat (0.9%) and other treatments were not different (1.2%). Meat from MSDBC, MSDRC, and MSRC had similar crude fiber content (0.8%), whereas meat from MSBC and MSUC had the highest (1.0%) compared to the control diet (0.9%). The amount of crude fiber in meat from the MSDC group was similar to that of the control. Meat form MSBC had the highest water holding capacity of 74.1%, MSUC had the lowest (61.5%) and other treatments were similar. Meat from MSBC had the highest pH of 6.6. Meat from MSUC had the lowest pH of 6.0, while pH from the remaining dietary groups was not different. Meat from broilers fed diets containing raw cowpeas had the lowest colour and texture scores, while the rest of treatments were similar in the two parameters. There were no differences in the aroma scores of all treatments.Meat from MSDBC, MSDC and MSBC had the highest taste scores, while MSUC had the lowest (P<0.05) and the remaining treatments were similar. Tenderness scores of meat were highest in MS, MSDBC and MSBC groups and lowest in the MSUC treatment. Tenderness of meat from the remaining treatments was not different in this parameter. In conclusion, processed cowpeas can be added to broiler diets up to 15% inclusion levels without compromising the quality and sensory attributes of broiler meat.