Effects of Guanidinoacetic Acid Supplementation on Productive Performance, Pectoral Myopathies, and Meat Quality of Broiler Chickens

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Genetic selection for rapid growth is accompanied with challenges in meat quality such as pectoral myopathies, which lead to downgrading of breast muscle and economic losses for slaughterhouses. This experiment evaluated the effects of guanidinoacetic acid supplementation at rate of 0%, 0.06%, and 0.12% on the productive performance and meat quality of broiler chickens. Result showed that wooden breast was manifested by low creatine and high ultimate pH, and more associated with heavy birds. Guanidinoacetic acid supplementation increased muscle glycogen, reduced the ultimate pH, and reduced the incidence of wooden breast severity. In conclusion, guanidinoacetic acid can be used in broiler diets to improve the productive performance without exacerbating pectoral myopathy or affecting meat quality. ABSTRACT: The effects of guanidinoacteic acid (GAA) supplementation on productive performance, pectoral myopathies, and meat quality of broilers were studied. Treatments consisted of corn/soybean-based diets with a GAA supplement (0%, 0.06%, and 0.12%). A total of 546 one-day-old Ross-308 males were randomly allocated to 42 floor pens with 14 replicates (13 birds/pens) for each treatment. The results showed that GAA at doses of 0.06% and 0.12% improved feed conversion, increased the percentage of normal breast, and decreased the severity of wooden breast. Breast muscle myopathy severity was positively correlated with heavy birds and negatively correlated with breast muscle creatine and glycogen. Breast muscle creatine and glycogen correlated positively with normal, less severe pectoral myopathies and meat quality. In conclusion, GAA supplementation improved broiler performance without exacerbating pectoral myopathy or affecting meat quality.