RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SERUM ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE AND MEAT QUALITY TRAITS IN MALE AND FEMALE BROILER LINES IN SHIKA, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study was conducted to genetically evaluate the relationship between serum alkaline phosphatase (SAP) and meat quality traits of male and female broiler lines in National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI). A total of 350 broiler birds were used, which consisted of 100 birds each for sire and dam line and 75 birds each for sire control and dam control. Data on blood and meat quality traits were analyzed using General Linear Model procedures of SAS (2002). The results obtained indicated that there was no significant (P>0.05) difference in all the biochemical traits observed except in the SAP where sire control showed the highest value of 69.00mg/dl. No significant (P>0.05) differences were observed in meat quality traits except in the energy value of sire control (3945.3kcal/kg). Genetic correlations obtained in this study revealed that SAP showed positive and negative correlations with meat quality traits for the selected lines. It was therefore concluded that, lines had significant effects on SAP and energy. High genetic correlations between SAP and meat quality traits are indications of linkage and pleiotropy effects among these traits.