###### Abstract  
A study was carried out to evaluate the effect of the total replacement of flaked soybean (_Glycine max_ L., SOY) with raw pea (_Pisum sativum L._, PEA) on the carcass and meat quality traits of two medium-growing broiler strains (Kabir Rosso Plus, KB; New Red, NR). Birds were housed in 20 pens (five replications/groups, six birds each). At 83 days of age, 40 birds (2/replication) were slaughtered and the pectoral muscle (PM) was removed for analyses. Diet did not affect slaughter weight, carcass traits and meat quality. A pea diet determined a significant increase of MUFA and a decrease of PUFA, n-3 and n-6 PUFA; hence, the pea-fed group had a lower PUFA/SFA and a higher n-6/n-3 ratios compared to the soy-fed. NR chickens were heavier, with higher carcass and cut weights (\(p<0.01\)) compared to KB chickens. Interactions (\(p<0.05\)) between factors were found for PM weight and yield. Meat from NR had a higher (\(p<0.05\)) pH. Fatty acids were slightly affected by genotype. Replacing soybean with pea adversely affects meat fatty acid composition in terms of nutritional profile. broiler chickens; diet; protein sources; genotype; meat quality; fatty acids 2022128492228492222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222221222222222222222222122222222222222222222222212222222222222222222222222222  
that global world chicken meat production is projected to double by 2050, soybean meal consumption is expected to increase to 181 million tons in 2050 (reviewed by [PERSON] et al. [3]). In most countries, imported soybean meal (derived from the oil extraction process) is mainly produced from genetically modified plants [4]. Soybean is a crucial feed ingredient for many reasons: the unsustainability of the utilization of soybean products for feeding animals instead of feeding humans; the increased soybeans price (e.g., in Italy: August 2022 + 40.3% compared to 2021 [5]); the prospect that after January 1, 2024, genetically modified materials may be banned in the EU, which will represent a serious problem in poultry production [6]. Consequently, the need to seek alternative protein ingredients, which are locally available and affordable, is urgently required. As previous studies indicate, the interest in using grain legumes such as peas (_Pisum sativum_ L.), faba beans (_Vicia faba_ L.) and lupins (_Lupinus_ spp.) as alternatives to conventional protein sources (e.g., soybean products) in livestock diets is increasing [7; 8; 9]. Moreover, the mature seeds of most legume crops contain important carbohydrate components, including starches and sugars, and fat [10; 11]. Current varieties of legumes contain low levels of antinutrients making them candidates for use as high-protein sources in poultry diet [8]. On the other hand, the results of our previous work [12] indicated that the replacement of soybean with raw pea beans could be an economically and environmentally sustainable feeding strategy for inner areas of central South Italy. Pea cultivation in the inner areas of the southern Apennines is practiced to alleviate the problems of cereal monoculture, as well as to improve the productive performance of mixed agro-forestry systems and connect these with livestock farming in an eco-sustainable farming perspective [13]. In addition, unlike other legumes, the pea is a flexible crop, fitting into many crop rotations due to its potential winter sowing and rapid seed ripening, which allows them to escape summer drought and high temperatures [14; 15]. All these aspects may represent valid motivations for the sustainable use of peas in the inner Mediterranean areas. Nowadays, chicken-meat production mainly utilizes fast-growing genotypes housed indoors under climate-controlled conditions and fed balanced diets that guarantee high growth performance and feed efficiency. However, this type of production has a negative impact on traits such as well-being and disease resistance [16].