Organic and Conventional Chicken Meat Produced In Uruguay: Colour, Ph, Fatty Acids Composition and Oxidative Status

The organic chicken meat is present in the market and accepted by consumers in Uruguay. However, no information about its quality is available. The study of organic meat showed a higher lightness (L*) and lower yellowness (b*) than conventional chicken meat. For redness (a*), the results were inconclusive. Haem iron content was higher in organic meat and the lipids content was not different between organic and conventional meat. The fatty acids composition showed that the organic meat presented 31-34 %, 49-53 % and 12-14 % of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), respectively. The limited uses of corn and soybean to fed organic chickens, probably explain the unexpected low level of PUFA in organic meat. The organic meat also showed a lower TBARs level and a similar level of protein carbonyl in comparison to the conventional one. Catalase presented a higher activity in organic meat compared to the conventional one. No differences were observed for superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase.