Synbiotics as potentially growth promoter substitution for improving microbial and oxidative stability of Japanese quail meat

The use of antibiotics in livestock breeding, especially poultry, leads to an increase in antibiotic resistance and human disorders. Therefore, researchers are seeking a good substitute to improve gut microbial balance, growth performance, and meat quality of livestock. The present study was aimed to investigate the effect of diets containing different levels (0, 90, and 100%) of probiotic Fermacto (F), prebiotic Primalac (P), and their mixture on chemical, microbial, and sensory properties of Japanese quail meat. The F100 sample showed the highest color and odor scores; whilst, juicier feature was more dependent on prebiotic level. F100P100 and F90P90 ranked the highest meat flavor and overall acceptance scores, respectively. The lowest number of microorganisms and total coliforms were observed in F90P100 during storage. In general, the addition of synbiotics to the diet of Japanese quail led to improve in meat quality and decrease in microbial contamination besides controlled oxidation during refrigeration.