Chicken meat is being preferred due to its low-fat content, and superior protein value. The increasing awareness of consumers about food health benefits, has served as driving force to identify nutritionally enriched poultry breeds. In this view, the objectives of current study were to identify better domestic backyard chicken breeds through comparative antioxidant and oxidant profiling of most consumed thigh and breast meat. Twenty healthy birds (10 male and 10 female) of each chicken breed i.e., Aseel (As), Misri Gold (MG), Fayoumi (Fa) and Naked Neck (NN) were reared as scavengers till 6 months of age and then slaughtered. A boneless chunk/cube of meat from both breasts (white cut/pectoralis major) and thigh muscles (dark cut/biceps femoris) were used for analysis. The mean live weight (1423.40±26.0g) bleeding weight (1401.50±22.70g) and carcass weight (925.20±08.39) was maximum in male MG birds. While in female birds, live weight (1144.10±48.70g) and bleeding weight (1115.90±49.20g) was highest in As and defeathered weight in MG (899.60±10.90). Breast (pectoralis major) and thigh (Biceps femoris) meat from male and female birds was compared for biochemical profiles. Male birds breast meat depicted significantly higher superoxide dismutase (SOD) (145.99±4.01), total flavonoids (TF) (150.86±1.28) in MG, catalase (385.00±5.00) peroxidase (POD) (2972.20±41.80) in NN. While ascorbate peroxidase (APX) (2075.00±75.00) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) (12.93±0.33) and lowest TOS (1170.00±10.00) value was observed in Fa and MDA content (197.55±2.45) in NN. Female birds breast meat, had highest SOD (121.93±3.07), POD (6723.60±69.60) and APX (967.50±7.50) in MG, CAT (495.00±5.00), TF (129.31±0.94) and TAC (15.70±0.43) in Fa. While least TOS (1230.00±15.00) was in As and minimum MDA (279.53±53) in MG. In male birds thigh meat, SOD was found highest (168.16±1.84) in MG, CAT (505.00±5.00) in Fa, POD (4074.00±78.00) and TF (128.18±1.93) in As, APX (807.50±7.50) in NN. However, lowest TOS (1295.00±5.00) was in Fa and MDA in As (176.71±3.29). Female birds thigh meat, had highest SOD (167.76±2.24), APX (1507.50±12.50) in Fa, CAT (467.00±7.00) in As, POD (2204.70±59.70), TF (132.81±2.32) in MG, TAC (14.24±0.32) in NN and lowest TOS (1052.50±7.50) and MDA (171.39±2.61) in MG. Chicken breeds MG and Fa can prove to be a potential source of cheap protein and provide substantial health benefits along with cheap income generation for small rural households in developing countries.

To Cite This Article: Kausar R, Hameed A, Junaid J, Rehan S, Iqba T, Hameed A and Usman M, 2024. Antioxidant and oxidant profiles in thigh and breast meat of pakistan domestic chicken breeds. Pak Vet J. http://dx.doi.org/10.29261/pakvetj/2024.305