Effects of Hot Water Extract of Juncao-substrate Ganoderma lucidum Residue on Meat Quality and Antioxidant Capacity of Liancheng White Ducks

The present study explored the effects of dietary supplementation with hot water extract of Juncao-substrate Ganoderma lucidum residue (HWE-JGLR) on growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality, and antioxidant capacity of Liancheng white ducks. A total of 288 one-day-old male Liancheng white ducks were randomly allocated into 4 groups with 6 replicates of 12 ducks each. The control group was fed a corn-soybean meal basal diet, while the test groups were fed a basal diet supplemented with either 0.25%, 0.5%, or 1% HWE-JGLR, designated as HJ-I, HJ-Ⅱ, and HJ-Ⅲ groups, respectively, for 63 days. No significant differences were observed in growth performance or carcass traits among the groups. Regarding meat quality, the primary beneficial effect was the mitigation of pH decline in breast muscles ( P < 0.05); no significant effects were observed in shear force, drip loss, or meat color of both breast and leg muscles. In breast muscle, the expression levels of genes CPT-1 and PRKAA1 were elevated by HWE-JGLR supplementation ( P < 0.05). In contrast, a marked suppression was observed in the expression of SREBP-1C ( P < 0.05). Additionally, compared with the control group, the serum T-SOD and GSH-Px activities in ducks fed HJ-Ⅱ and HJ-Ⅲ diets were found to be increased ( P < 0.05). Besides, ducks fed HJ-I and HJ-Ⅲ diets reduced serum MDA concentration ( P < 0.05). In liver and breast muscle, HJ-Ⅱ and HJ-Ⅲ groups increased the expression of CAT, SOD, TXN, GCLC, NRF2 and NQO1 ( P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the activity of liver GSH-Px and breast muscle CAT was also enhanced ( P < 0.05). In summary, diet supplemented with HWE-JGLR has been shown to improve the meat quality of breast muscle and suppress the expression levels of fat-related genes. Meanwhile, HWE-JGLR promoted the antioxidant capacity of Liancheng through a coordinated increase in antioxidant enzyme activities and upregulation of associated gene expression. Based on the results of various measurement indicators, it is appropriate to add 0.5% HWE-JGLR in feed.