Acta Veterinaria et Zootechnica Sinica ›› 2023, Vol. 54 ›› Issue (11): 4691-4701.doi: 10.11843/j.issn.0366-6964.2023.11.023

• ANIMAL NUTRITION AND FEEDS • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effects of Lauric Acid on Slaughter Performance, Muscle Quality and Antioxidant Function of Broilers

XU Ziqiang1, LIU Jinsong2, SUN Yaowei1, SHI Yonghao1, WU Yanping1, ZHANG Ruiqiang1*   

  1. 1. Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Animal Health Inspection & Internet Technology, Key Laboratory of Applied Technology on Green-Eco-Healthy Animal Husbandry of Zhejiang Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang Agricultural and Forestry University, Hangzhou 311300, China;
    2. Vegamax Green Animal Health Products Key Agricultural Enterprise Research Institute, Zhejiang Vegamax Biotechnology Co. Ltd., Anji 313300, China
  • Received:2023-04-17 Online:2023-11-23 Published:2023-11-26

Abstract: This experiment was conducted to investigate the regulatory effects of lauric acid (LA) on slaughter performance, muscle quality, conventional nutrients and antioxidant properties of broilers. A total of 480 1-day-old AA broilers were randomly divided into 4 groups with 8 replicates per group and 15 broilers per replicate. Broilers were fed with basal diet (control group), basal diet supplemented with 75 mg·kg-1 aureomycin (antibiotic group) and 500 mg·kg-1 lauric acid (low-dose lauric acid group, LA500), and 1 000 mg·kg-1 lauric acid (lauric acid high-dose group, LA1 000), respectively. The experiment lasted for 42 days. The results showed that compared with the control group, dietary supplementation of 500 mg·kg-1 lauric acid increased the red (a*) value, yellow (b*) value, pH at 24 h and the contents of organic matter, ether extract and crude protein in breast muscle, also increased the level of total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), up-regulated the expression levels of SOD1, CAT, GPX1, Nrf2 and HO-1 genes, decreased the brightness (L*) value at 24 h, moisture content, drip loss at 48 h and cooking loss of breast muscle in broilers (P<0.05). Dietary supplementation of 1 000 mg·kg-1 lauric acid increased slaughter percentage and evisceration percentage, enhanced the subcutaneous fat thickness and intermuscular fat width, increased pH, a*, b* values at 24 h and the contents of ether extract in breast muscle, increased the levels of T-AOC, total superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX), up-regulated the gene expression levels of SOD1, SOD2, CAT, GPX1, Nrf2 and HO-1, decreased drip loss at 48 h, L* value at 24 h and cooking loss, and reduced the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in breast muscle of broilers (P<0.05). Compared with antibiotic group, dietary 500 mg·kg-1 lauric acid increased the 24 h a* and b* values, decreased the L* value at 24 h of breast muscle in broilers (P<0.05). Dietary supplementation with 1 000 mg·kg-1 lauric acid increased subcutaneous fat thickness, increased the pH, a*, b* values at 24 h and T-AOC levels, decreased the L* value at 24 h of breast muscle in broilers (P<0.05). In conclusion, lauric acid could improve slaughter performance, muscle quality and antioxidant capacity of broilers, and activate the related genes expression of Nrf2 signaling pathway, and the optimal dose of lauric acid is 1 000 mg·kg-1 in the diet of broilers.

Key words: lauric acid, broiler, slaughter performance, meat quality, antioxidant function

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