barn-raised and free-range chickens

 barn-raised and free-range chickens

In Brazil, Coletta et al. (2012) compared barn-raised and free-range chickens to determine if differences in their diets were reflected in the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope composition of their tissues. They investigated temporal changes in the isotopic composition of chickens grown under controlled conditions receiving two different diets. One diet was a conventional grain-based ration used in commercial barn-raised chicken plants, and the other diet was typical of free-range chickens, which is a mixture of corn, grass, and earthworms from the soil. The authors found that the d13C and d15N values of barn-raised corn-fed and free-range Caipirinha chickens changed with age. The main difference was that free-range chickens had a significantly higher d15N, and they attributed this difference to the ingestion of animal protein like earthworms.

In the United States, Neufeld (2002) looked at consumer preferences for organic/ free-range chicken. The author found that there was an apparent lack of knowledge about free-range chicken and its availability. Besides, consumers in the sample generally were price-insensitive and therefore lowering the price by $0.50, marginally increased purchases by 5% only. Over 50% of the consumers in the sample said they had an interest in purchasing free-range chicken in the future. Perceived health benefits (the lack of growth hormones or antibiotics and the fact that it is healthy) greatly motivated consumers to future purchases.  Purchasers of free-range chicken rated it above regular chicken in all attributes (taste, freshness, tenderness, texture, appearance, and aroma) but value, and overall, the taste was rated most favorably. Generally, free-range chicken purchasers tended to be among the 45-54 age group, had higher incomes than non-purchasers, were more educated, but equally likely as other consumers to have children under the age of 18 in the household.

Marian et al. (2013) studied whether the impact of process characteristics such as organic and free-range on consumers’ choices of food products is at least partly mediated through the expected eating quality or taste expectations. Four product characteristics (production method, price, size, and information about farmer and rearing conditions) were varied in a fractional factorial conjoint design, creating nine profiles of whole chickens. The authors found that taste expectations were a strong predictor of willingness to buy. They concluded that the impact of both product and process characteristics on willingness to buy is at least partly mediated through taste expectations.

In Taiwan, Cheng et al. (2008) studied the effects of free-range farming, compared to a conventional production system, on carcass and meat qualities using black-feathered Taiwan native chickens. The authors found that the free-range chickens had a higher percentage of meat for the breast, an increased crude protein content, and chewiness value for the breast but decreased crude fat content and lower hardness and fracturability values for the leg quarter. The scores of all the attributes including aroma, flavor, firmness, tenderness, juiciness and overall acceptability of leg meat from free-range chickens were slightly higher than those for conventional chickens, while the reverse was true for breast meat, though no significant difference could be found. Free-range Taiwan native chicken appeared to yield the best of the results, with flavorful yet tender leg meat for higher sensory satisfaction, and high protein but low-fat breast meat for healthier diet choice.

In Ireland, (Lawlor et al. (2003) compared the sensory characteristics of cooked chicken breasts from organic, corn-fed, free range and conventionally reared animals. There were significant (P<0.05) differences between samples for all appearance, one odour, one flavour, and all texture attributes. consumers preferred the sensory attributes of meat from conventionally reared chicken. Consumers in these segments also liked the sensory attributes of certain organic and free-range samples. The sensory attributes of a free-range sample including “processed” odour, “cream” appearance, “firmness” and “high oral breakdown” texture was preferred by 48% of consumers. However, the sensory attributes of the organic and corn-fed chicken samples were not the most preferred of any consumer segments.

In Guinea, Sow et al. (2010) identified the sensory characteristics and consumer preference for chicken meat using five chicken samples [live village chicken, live broiler, live spent laying hen, ready-to-cook broiler, and ready-to-cook broiler (imported)] The authors reported that the sensory characteristics (juicy, oily, sweet, hard, mouth persistent, and yellow) were the most relevant sensory drivers of the Guinean chicken preference. The hierarchical cluster analysis results showed that the live village chicken was the most preferred chicken sample, whereas the ready-to-cook broiler was the least preferred one. Generally, there was not a chicken category that was exclusively preferred from the other chicken samples and therefore highlight the existence of place for development of all chicken categories in the local market.

Verbeke et al. (2015) found that two thirds of consumers in their study had preferences and favorable attitudes towards the use of insect as animal feed in Belgium.