Free-range chickens acquire bioactive compounds from pasture

Efforts to improve the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and nutritional properties of animal products have been studied for many years. The main strategy to increase PUFAs in the meat is to add them to the feed. However, doing so, the oxidative risk in the animal’s tissues increases and requires suitable protection by anti-oxidants. Free-range chickens acquire several bioactive compounds from the pasture (e.g., PUFA, vitamins, and pigments) that could affect meat characteristics. The effect o