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Native
chicken meat is preferred by many Filipinos because
of its distinct taste, leanness, and pigmentation, which
are incomparable to that of commercial broiler.
The
meat of native chicken and commercial broiler differs
primarily in nutritional composition.
Initial
results of a study done by FNRI-DOST with funding from
PCARRD showed that native chicken meat has has lower
fat content than the commercial broiler meat either
in raw or cooked form. This means that the commercial
broilers have a lot of stored fats because they are
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in cages and fed ad libitum. In contrast, native chickens
are free to range in search of food; hence they are more
exercised than commercial broiler. |
Initial
results also showed that native chicken meat has higher protein
content than the commercial broiler. This could be explained
by the higher myofibrillar protein content in the skeletal
muscles of native chicken as revealed by the masteral thesis
of Marites M. Ramil, Science Research Specialist of PCARRD.
Myofibrillar
proteins are muscle fibers found in myofibrils, which are
intracellular structures responsible for the muscle’s
contractile activity. Ramil’s study showed that the
thigh and breast muscles of free-range chickens have higher
myofibrillar protein content than those raised in confinement.
Moreover,
free-range chickens have more densely packed muscle fibers
and pronounced increase in connective tissues between fascicles
(bundles of muscle fibers) compared to those raised in confinement.
These connective tissues give strength during strong muscle
contraction. Increased activity like muscle contraction increases
muscle mass and decreases fat deposits, resulting in leaner
meat (Marites M. Ramil, S&T Media Service).
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