FLAVOR ASSOCIATED WITH FISH MEAL IN DIETS FED TO BROILER CHICKENS

Diets containing varying levels of fish meal (3–19%) were fed to broiler chickens representing male and female birds of four different genotypes. After slaughter and processing, sample birds were roasted without seasoning, and portions of skin, breast meat and thigh meat were submitted to a taste panel of nine judges. Each portion was tested by asking one of the judges to identify it when it was presented along with two comparable portions taken from a control bird. There were 720 such triangle tests, comprised of six replicate tests within each of the 120 subclasses denned by genotype, sex, nutritional treatment and type of tissue.Flavor differences between birds fed 3% and 9% fish meal were detected with a frequency which was highly significant in skin and breast meat, but in thigh meat there was no significant effect on flavor until the level of fish meal reached 14%. Neither sex nor genotype had any influence on the detection of flavor differences. The practical significance of these findings is discussed.