Abstract

---

Oxidative and microbial spoilage affect the nutritional quality of poultry products. White pepper (WP) and cayenne pepper (CP) powders possess antioxidative and antimicrobial properties, therefore, prompting an investigation into the activity of dietary peppers on proximate, oxidative and microbial profile of broiler chicken meat and sausage subjected to refrigeration storage. At the expiration of feeding 336 randomly allotted chickens seven diets (Control (C) and six other diets), fifty-six (56) birds (two per replicate) were selected and feed-fasted for 12 hours before slaughter. Post-slaughter, meat and sausage proximate were immediately analysed, but aseptically collected meat samples and raw sausage stored in sterile plastic bags were transferred to the Microbiology Laboratory of the Department of Veterinary Medicine and analysed for malondialdehyde (MDA) and microbial [Escherichia sp, Salmonella sp, Enterococcus sp, Lactobacillus sp, Staphylococcus sp, Pseudomonas sp and Saccharomyces sp] assessments following standard laboratory procedure. Proximate composition of Meat and sausage were not influenced (p>0.05) by additives, but MDA and microbial counts were affected (p<0.05). C+250WP diet lowered meat MDA. Groups fed with WP diets were as effective as the Control against Escherichia coli and E. faecalis. Salmonella typhimurium was repressed by all groups excluding C+250WP and C+100WP+100CP. On day (D) 0, all pepper-fed groups had lower Staphylococcus aureus than the Control, while C+200CP had lower total bacterial count than the Control. C+200CP and C+250CP groups had no Saccharomyces cerevisiae like the Control, while Sausage from Control and C+250WP groups exhibited identical impact against Saccharomyces cerevisiae on D 28. Chicken sausage from the Control, C+200WP, C+200CP and C+250CP groups inhibited fungi growth

Keywords: white + cayenne pepper powder; malondialdehyde count; microbial load; refrigeration storage, Meat quality, Sausage