BACKGROUND

Consumers are becoming increasingly interested in food containing high concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). PUFA are considered as functional ingredients to prevent cardiovascular disease. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of Clostridium butyricum on antioxidant properties, meat quality and fatty acid composition of broilers.

METHODS

A total of 320 one-day-old Arbor Acres male chicks were randomly assigned to one of five treatments with eight replicates and fed a antibiotic-free basal corn-soybean meal diet (control) or the basal diet supplemented with either 2.5 × 10(8) (CB1), 5 × 10(8) (CB2) or 1 × 10(9) (CB3) cfu of C. butyricum/kg or 150 mg of aureomycin/kg (antibiotic) for 42 days.

RESULTS

The results showed that chicks fed diets supplemented with C. butyricum had higher (P < 0.05) superoxide dismutase activity and lower (P < 0.05) malondialdehyde concentration in liver compared with those in the control group. Broilers had lower (P < 0.05) cholesterol content of serum in either CB2 or CB3 treatment at day 21 and in the C. butyricum-supplemented groups at day 42 than those in the control group. Chicks fed CB3 diet had lower (P < 0.05) percentage of abdominal fat and higher (P < 0.05) breast muscle yield than those in the control and antibiotic groups. The supplementation of C. butyricum increased (P < 0.05) the concentrations of C20:1n-9, C20:2n-6, C20:3n-6, C20:3n-3, C20:4n-6, C20:5n-3, C22:6n-3 and total PUFA as well as ratio of PUFA to saturated fatty acids in breast muscle and the contents of C18:2 t-9, t-12, C20:3n-6, C20:3n-3 and C20:5n-3 in thigh muscle.

CONCLUSIONS

Supplementation of C. butyricum promotes hepatic antioxidant status, decreases cholesterol content of serum and percentage of abdominal fat, and improves meat quality and fatty acid composition of broiler birds. The results from the present study indicate that the increased PUFA concentrations in meat of broilers fed C. butyricum might be attributable to enhanced antioxidant activity.