Different lines of camelina ( <i>Camelina sativa</i> (L.) Crantz) in broiler quails’ diets: effects on meat physicochemical traits and sensory profile

The present study investigated the effect of Camelina sativa cake dietary inclusion on quail meat fatty acids (FA), amino acids (AA), and sensory characteristics. To this, 480 broiler quails were allocated to four dietary treatments (12 replicated cages/treatment): a control diet (Control) and three diets with 15% camelina cake, containing a commercial cultivar (Calena) and two improved lines (Pearl: low linoleic acid; Alan: low glucosinolates). After slaughter, breast meat FA and AA profiles and contents were analysed, alongside a sensory evaluation by trained panellists. The dietary inclusion modified breast meat FA profile and contents (p <.001), notably increasing α-linolenic acid (C18:3 n-3), which improved overall n-3 PUFA and reduced the n-6/n-3 ratio to recommended levels. Health indices improved in a line-dependent manner: atherogenicity lowered in Alan compared to Control and Calena (p <.01), while thrombogenicity reduced in all camelina treatments than the Control (p <.001). Camelina-fed groups showed an AA profile in line with the Control one, and Pearl displayed a higher essential AA content compared to Alan (p <.05). Sensory results indicated no substantial changes in meat attributes across treatments, except for tenderness and animal fat flavour: the first lowered in Alan meat compared to the Control (p <.05), while the latter was higher in the Control than in Alan and Calena groups (p <.01). In conclusion, the 15% dietary inclusion of different camelina cakes in quail diets positively influenced meat FA, enhancing product healthiness without negatively impacting its nutritional quality and sensory attributes. Findings indicated that camelina cake is an effective feedstuff to improve quail meat quality.HIGHLIGHTS Once fed to quails, all tested camelina cakes increased meat n-3 PUFA and reduced the n-6/n-3 by about 5 and 7 times, respectively. Meat atherogenicity and thrombogenicity indices of camelina-fed quails improved, indicating enhanced product healthiness. Camelina inclusion did not alter quail meat sensory attributes compared to the control group.