Meat quality of hens fed an unblanched, high-oleic peanut diet

High-oleic peanuts are an energy-dense, protein-rich alternative to conventional poultry feed ingredients and may have an impact on meat quality in spent laying hens, which are typically diverted to low-value uses. This study evaluated the effects of unblanched high-oleic peanuts at five levels (0 %, 5 %, 10 %, 15 %, 20 %) into layer diets for 8 wks on carcass traits, meat composition, physicochemical properties, lipid stability, and sensory quality of spent layers. Diets were isonitrogenous (18 % crude protein) and isocaloric (3,080 kcal/kg metabolizable energy). A total of 200 hens were acclimated for 7 days, then randomly assigned to treatments (n = 5 replicates of 8 hens each). Ten hens per treatment were processed to assess body weight, carcass yield, breast meat pH, color, texture profile, water-holding capacity, proximate composition, lipid oxidation, and sensory attributes. Peanut inclusion up to 20 % did not adversely affect growth performance or carcass yield (P > 0.05). Meat pH and color were influenced in some dietary treatments, though all values remained within acceptable ranges for commercial meat. Moderate inclusion (10-15 %) greatly increased breast meat protein content, reduced fat and collagen levels, and improved moisture retention (P < 0.05), indicating enhanced nutritional quality and processing potential. Water-holding capacity parameters (purge, thaw, cook loss) were not different among treatments (P > 0.05). Likewise, texture profile attributes did not differ (P > 0.05) from control values. Lipid oxidation remained low and stable during extended frozen storage, consistent with the oxidative stability conferred by the peanuts' high oleic acid and polyphenol content. Sensory evaluation indicated that flavor, texture, and overall acceptability remained consistent across treatments (P > 0.05), with no evidence of rancidity, bitterness, or off-flavor development, even at the highest inclusion level. These results demonstrate that unblanched high-oleic peanuts can be incorporated into poultry diets at 10-15 % to enhance spent layer meat composition and maintain sensory quality, offering a sustainable, value-added strategy for improving the marketability of spent laying hens.