Abstract:

The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of N,N-dimethylglycine sodium salt (Na-DMG) on slaughter
performance, meat quality indices and antioxidant performance of broilers. Totally 720 one-day-old AA broilers were
randomly allocated to six groups with 6 replicates, and fed commercial starter diet supplemented with Na-DMG at doses of
300, 500, 1 000, 1 500 and 2 000 mg/kg for 42 days, respectively. The results showed that 1) dietary addition of Na-DMG
increased the percentage of eviscerated carcass and thigh muscle in broilers (P < 0.05). The 1 500 mg/kg Na-DMG group
displayed the best slaughter performance; 2) dietary Na-DMG mainly affected meat quality indices of breast muscle. The
cooking loss of breast muscle from 42-day-old broilers was decreased extremely significantly by Na-DMG supplementation
at doses of 1 000 and 1 500 mg/kg when compared with the control group (P < 0.01), and significantly reduced at
2 000 mg/kg (P < 0.05). Na-DMG when supplemented at 1 500 and 2 000 mg/kg led to a significant decrease in drip loss
(96 h postmortem) of chicken breast muscle when compared with the control group (P < 0.05). Moreover, Na-DMG at
doses between 1 000 and 2 000 mg/kg could reduce the shear force of chicken breast muscle significantly (P < 0.01); and
3) dietary Na-DMG could also affect antioxidant performance of breast muscle by increasing T-AOC levels at 1 000 mg/kg
when compared with the control group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, N,N-dimethylglycine sodium salt can improve the slaughter
performance and meat quality of broilers significantly, and also enhance the antioxidant capacity of breast muscle, especially
at doses of 1 000–1 500 mg/kg.

Key words: N,N-dimethylglycine sodium salt, broilers, slaughter performance, meat quality, antioxidant performance