Effects of ferulic acid on meat quality and fat metabolism in broilers

This study aimed to explore the feasibility of using ferulic acid (FA) to regulate meat quality and fat metabolism in broilers. A total of 240 one-day-old male Arbor Acres broilers were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments, each consisting of 6 replicates with 10 birds per replicate. The birds were fed a basal diet supplemented with 0, 100, 300, or 600 mg/kg of FA for 42 days. The results showed that: 1) the FA increased the eviscerated ratio and breast muscle ratio, and reduced abdominal fat ratio (P< 0.05). 2) the FA improved Yellowness, 45 minutes and 24 hours pH and muscle crude protein content (P< 0.05). 3) the FA reduced the muscle fiber diameter and area of muscle fiber in breast muscle, and increased muscle fiber density (P< 0.05). 4) The FA reduced concentration of serum triacylglycerol, and contents of liver triacylglycerol and total cholesterol. 5) In breast muscle tissue, the FA up-regulated the expression of SIRT1, AMPKα1, PGC-1α, FoxO1, MyHC I, and MyHC IIa genes, and down-regulated the expression of MyHC IIb gene (P< 0.05). 6) In liver tissue, the FA up-regulated the expression of SIRT1, AMPK1α, PGC-1α, PPARα and CPT-1α genes, and down-regulated the expression of FAS and SREBP-1c genes (P< 0.05). 7) the FA reduced the relative abundance of Firmicutes, Alistipes, and Negativibacillus, and increased the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes, Barnesiella and Faecalibacterium (P< 0.05). 8) Correlation analysis shown that Alistipes was positively correlated with MyHC I gene, and negatively correlated with AMPKα1, PGC-1α, SIRT1 genes, muscle fiber diameter, and muscle fiber density in broilers (P< 0.05). 9) Regression analysis showed that the addition of 350-400 mg/kg FA to the basal diet of broilers was beneficial for regulating liver fat metabolism, reducing abdominal fat deposition, and improving breast muscle quality (P< 0.05). In summary, supplementation with 350-400 mg/kg FA optimally improved meat quality and regulated fat metabolism.