Indigenous chicken breeds have showed slower growth rate and yield lower meat
production, compared to commercial broilers. However, their meat quality is
valued by modern consumers. The present study aimed at analyzing the quality
traits of breast meat samples of Noi broilers, one of the famous indigenous
chicken breeds in Vietnam. A total of 355 breast fillet samples were
collected to evaluate quality meat traits such as pH, surface color, drip
loss, and cooking loss at different time points of 3, 24, and 48 hours after
slaughtering as well as to analyze chemical compositions such as dry matter,
crude protein and ether extract. As result, sex and cold-storage time
significant affect some of quality traits of breast meat, whereas their
interaction did not associate among the observed properties. After 3
hour-storage, the pH value was determined at 5.63, then decrease to 5.56 and
5.55 after 24 and 48 hours, respectively. The color values (L*, a*, and b*)
were in the normal range reported from previous studies. Meat samples of two
sexes did not vary in the cooking loss and drip loss values, whereas it was
significantly different due to cold-storage time. The ether extract content
of the meat was found negatively correlated with the cooking loss. The
higher dry matter content of breast meat resulted in the lower drip loss
value after 3h coldstorage (r=-0.12, P<0.05). There is a negative
relationship between L* and a*. The variation demonstrated in this study can
be used in breeding schemes in order to improve meat quality of Noi chicken
lines.