Effects of Dietary Corn Type and Coccidiosis Challenge on Broiler Meat Quality.
- 1Prestage Department of Poultry Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA.
Abstract
Coccidiosis impairs broiler performance and meat quality, whereas dietary corn source may influence responses to enteric challenges. Therefore, this study evaluated the effects of corn type (yellow corn, YC; orange corn, OC) and coccidiosis challenge (challenged, C+; non-challenged, C-) on broiler (Cobb 500) meat quality. Treatments were arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial RCBD, with eight replicate pens per treatment and 15 birds per pen. The pen was the experimental unit. Breast meat was evaluated for yield, pH, instrumental color, woody breast severity, texture, water-holding capacity, lipid oxidation, and composition. Data were analyzed using PROC GLM in SAS 9.4, with a house section included as a blocking factor. Corn type × challenge interactions were observed for live, chilled, and whole breast weights at 2 h, with YC/C+ showing the lowest values, whereas OC/C+ maintained weights comparable to non-challenged treatments. OC/C+ increased yellowness and had the greatest woody breast incidence, while YC/C+ had the lowest severity. Coccidiosis increased thaw loss and reduced fat content, whereas cook loss, lipid oxidation, and most compositional traits were unaffected. Overall, OC/C+ had greater yield than YC/C+ under challenge but was also associated with greater woody breast severity, indicating an association rather than a causal trade-off.
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BibTeX
@article{caceres2026effects,
title = {{Effects of Dietary Corn Type and Coccidiosis Challenge on Broiler Meat Quality.}},
author = {Jean C Cáceres and Camila Hammel Sobreira and Jaidyn Abbey and Christina S Sigmon and Jennifer Rainbow and Samuel Mwangi and Yan L Campbell},
journal = {Foods (Basel, Switzerland)},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/foods15203607},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42940244},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Effects of Dietary Corn Type and Coccidiosis Challenge on Broiler Meat Quality.
AU - Jean C Cáceres
AU - Camila Hammel Sobreira
AU - Jaidyn Abbey
AU - Christina S Sigmon
AU - Jennifer Rainbow
AU - Samuel Mwangi
AU - Yan L Campbell
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/10
JO - Foods (Basel, Switzerland)
DO - 10.3390/foods15203607
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42940244
AB - Coccidiosis impairs broiler performance and meat quality, whereas dietary corn source may influence responses to enteric challenges. Therefore, this study evaluated the effects of corn type (yellow corn, YC; orange corn, OC) and coccidiosis challenge (challenged, C+; non-challenged, C-) on broiler (Cobb 500) meat quality. Treatments were arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial RCBD, with eight replicate pens per treatment and 15 birds per pen. The pen was the experimental unit. Breast meat was evaluated for yield, pH, instrumental color, woody breast severity, texture, water-holding capacity, lipid oxidation, and composition. Data were analyzed using PROC GLM in SAS 9.4, with a house section included as a blocking factor. Corn type × challenge interactions were observed for live, chilled, and whole breast weights at 2 h, with YC/C+ showing the lowest values, whereas OC/C+ maintained weights comparable to non-challenged treatments. OC/C+ increased yellowness and had the greatest woody breast incidence, while YC/C+ had the lowest severity. Coccidiosis increased thaw loss and reduced fat content, whereas cook loss, lipid oxidation, and most compositional traits were unaffected. Overall, OC/C+ had greater yield than YC/C+ under challenge but was also associated with greater woody breast severity, indicating an association rather than a causal trade-off.
SN - 2304-8158
ER -