"Korat chicken" meat is another signature food of Nakhon Ratchasima province known for its tender texture and low-fat content.  Researchers have been developing Korat chicken, creating livelihood for farmers for over 10 years.  Synchrotron Light Research Institute (Public Organization) or SLRI plays a part in this development in response to market demand.  The first research focuses on studying chemical components of chicken meat to enhance its protein absorption quality.  Another research is to study free-range chicken farming based on consumers’ awareness of healthy food and animal welfare.

 

                    Chicken meat contains a dipeptide protein called "carnosine" which is not only easily and instantly absorbed by the body after consumption but also serves as an antioxidant.  Developing Korat chicken meat rich in carnosine has therefore been a competitive advantage.  However, researchers found that high-carnosine meat has less favourable texture so they seek the solution by feeding chicken with more carnosine-contained amino acids β-alanine and L-histidine.  It was found that by adding both amino acids in farming, the researchers got Korat chicken with higher carnosine and water holding capacity, and the most favourable texture compared to adding either one amino acid.

 

                  In this research, lecturers Assoc. Prof. Dr. Amonrat Molee and Asst. Prof. Dr. Wittawat Molee along with Ph.D. candidate Ms. Chanadda Suwanvichanee from School of Animal Technology and Innovation, Institute of Agricultural Technology, Suranaree University of Technology, worked with SLRI beamline scientist Dr. Kanjana Thumanu in applying Synchrotron-FTIR technique to study chemical components of chicken meat with different carnosine amount.  They found that changes in carnosine levels correlated with changes of chemical components, especially in secondary protein structure.  These changes can indicate at molecular level that the more carnosine the meat contains, the better physical properties the meat has.  This information is beneficial to the development of Korat chicken with higher carnosine and favourable texture for consumers.

 

                   Furthermore, the researchers used the rapid and high-efficient Synchrotron-FTIR technique to study chemical components of organically raised, free-range chicken.  The technique is also known for the ability to indicate chemical components at molecular level.  The results showed that chicken raised in organic system had good growth performance and the meat was rich in nutritional proteins, collagens, and fatty acids, especially the Omega-3.  The meat also had favourable texture and appealing yellow colour.  Therefore, Synchrotron-FTIR technique can be used to study the change of chemical components in animal meat, and the spectrum gained from this technique can be used as a marker to directly measure chicken meat quality.

 

                    Both mentioned researches demonstrate the application of Synchrotron technology in studying Korat chicken for development of chicken farming practices to meet market demand.  The development not only provides consumers with good and beneficial food but also supports farmers by creating unique selling point and value added to the country's livestock.

 

References:

1. Chanadda Suwanvichanee, Panpradub Sinpru, Kasarat Promkhun, Satoshi Kubota, Cindy Riou, Wittawat Molee, Jirawat Yongsawatdigul, Kanjana Thumanu, and Amonrat Molee. 2022. Effects of b-alanine and L-histidine supplementation on carnosine contents in and quality and secondary structure of proteins in slow-growing Korat chicken meat. Poultry Science 101:101776 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2022.101776
2. Wittawat Molee, Wichuta Khosinklang, Pramkamon Tongduang, Kanjana Thumanu, Jirawat Yongsawatdigul and Amonrat Molee. 2022. Biomolecules, Fatty Acids, Meat Quality, and Growth Performance of Slow-Growing Chickens in an Organic Raising System. Animals. 12: 570

 

Article by:

1. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Amonrat Molee and Asst. Prof. Dr. Wittawat Molee, lecturers, School of Animal Technology and Innovation, Institute of Agricultural Technology, Suranaree University of Technology
2. Ms. Chanadda Suwanvichanee, Ph.D. candidate, School of Animal Technology and Innovation, Institute of Agricultural Technology, Suranaree University of Technology
3. Dr. Kanjana Thumanu, Beamline Scientist, Synchrotron Light Research Institute (Public Organization)