Sensory Acceptability of Broiler Chicken Meat Supplemented with Selected Indigenous Leaf Meals

Abstract

This study systematically evaluated the physiological and organoleptic effects of incorporating selected indigenous leaf meals as dietary feed supplements on the post-harvest sensory quality of broiler chicken meat. Over the course of the production cycle, experimental broilers were subjected to varying inclusion levels of these localized botanical supplements to determine their viability as sustainable nutritional alternatives. To assess consumer perception, representative samples of the broiler meat were standardized, prepared, and subjected to a comprehensive consumer acceptability test utilizing a trained panel. The sensory attributes rigorously analyzed during the evaluation included general appearance, objective tenderness, tissue juiciness, flavor profile intensity, and aroma characteristics. The empirical results demonstrated that all experimental treatments successfully obtained favorable consumer acceptability ratings, falling strictly within the qualitative spectrum of “Like Moderately” to “Like Very Much.” Inferential statistical analysis revealed no significant differences ($p > 0.05$) among the diverse dietary treatments across all measured sensory parameters. This lack of statistical variance conclusively indicates that the integration of indigenous leaf meals into poultry formulations does not adversely affect or diminish the core eating qualities of the resulting meat. Interestingly, subtle variations were observed in the descriptive data; treatments featuring moderate inclusion levels yielded slightly higher mean scores for tenderness, juiciness, flavor, and aroma compared to both the control groups and high-inclusion treatments. These findings clearly demonstrate the biological and commercial potential of indigenous leaf meals as highly sustainable, cost-effective, and ecologically viable feed supplements. Ultimately, this dietary strategy optimizes feed resources and reduces production overheads while securely maintaining the baseline sensory acceptability and consumer-driven quality standards of broiler chicken meat.