Zusammenfassung

The study aimed at evaluating the effect of feeding broiler chickens with diets containing faba bean and cold storage time on the physical properties of m. pectoralis major. The study material comprised 24 muscles from chickens split into 3 feeding groups. Birds from the control group (I) were fed with compound feeds containing soybean meal as the only highprotein component, whereas the starter/grower diets administered to experimental chickens contained faba bean in the proportion 8/15% - group II and 16/22% - group III, as a partial substitute for soybean meal. No effect of the feeding method on acidity and water absorption capacity of the muscle was observed. Muscles of chickens fed with mixes with a higher share of faba bean were characterised by higher yellow saturation, colour intensity and hue in comparison to other groups. The storage time had no effect on their physical properties; a decrease was only recorded in pH24 of the evaluated muscles, which testifies to the correct course of glycolytic transformations. To sum up, it must be stated that a higher share of faba bean in chicken diets modifies muscle colour only, but cold storage time has no impact on the evaluated physical characteristics of muscles.