Evaluation of Physical, Chemical and Microbiological Characteristics of SentulChicken Meat Adding Microencapsules of Noni Fruit Extract as a Feed Additive

Local chicken breeds in Indonesia, such as Sentul chicken (Gallus domesticus), have gained attention for their unique taste and adaptability to local conditions.The use of noni fruit (Morinda citrifolia L.) in poultry feed, due to its antioxidant content, has the potential to improve meat characteristics.This study aims to evaluate the effects of adding microencapsulated noni fruit extract (Morinda citrifolia L.) as a feed additive on the physical, chemical, and microbiological properties of Sentul chicken meat.A total of 56 chickens were randomly assigned to six dietary treatments: P0 (basal feed without antibiotics), P1 (basal feed + 50ppm bacitracin), P2 (basal feed + 0.5% microencapsulated noni extract), P3 (1%), P4 (1.5%), and P5 (2%).Parameters measured included water-holding capacity (WHC), cooking loss, tenderness, moisture, fat, protein, ash content, pH, total bacterial count, and meat color (L*, a*, b*).The results showed that treatment P3 had the highest WHC (48.70%) and the lowest cooking loss (22.85%), indicating better water retention.Tenderness was highest in P2 (28.6mm/g/10s) and P3 (28.50mm/g/10s).The highest protein content was found in P1 (19.56%), while P2 and P4 had lower values.Total bacterial count was lowest in P2 (2.06 10CFU/g) and highest in P4 (3.48 10CFU/g).The meat color of P2 was characterized by the lowest L* (16.35) and highest a* (28.24), indicating redder meat.These findings suggest that dietary supplementation with 1% microencapsulated noni extract (P3) optimally enhances meat quality in Sentul chickens without compromising safety or composition.