Dietary Coenzyme Q10 Supplementation Enhances Meat Quality, Nutritional Profile, and Antioxidant Status in Meat...

This study evaluated the effects of dietary coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) supplementation on growth performance, slaughter performance, meat quality, antioxidant capacity, serum profiles, and intestinal morphology in Minxinan black rabbits. A total of 250 rabbits were allocated to five dietary treatments containing 0, 30, 60, 120, or 240 mg/kg CoQ10 for 14 weeks after a 1-week adaptation period. Results indicated that supplementation with 60 mg/kg CoQ10 resulted in the highest final body weight (2.83 kg) and average daily gain (29.54 g/day), with a significantly reduced feed-to-gain ratio and mortality rate compared to the control group. Regarding slaughter performance, the 60 mg/kg group significantly reduced the abdominal fat rate. In terms of meat quality, the 60 and 120 mg/kg groups showed significantly reduced drip loss and shear force, while meat lightness (L*) increased in all supplemented groups. Cooking loss was significantly reduced in the 60 mg/kg group. Antioxidant capacity in cardiac muscle and longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) muscle was enhanced, particularly at 60 mg/kg, with significantly elevated activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), alongside reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) content. Furthermore, the 60 mg/kg group increased LTL muscle polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content, elevated serum levels of triiodothyronine (T3), growth hormone (GH), and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), enhanced immunoglobulin concentrations, and improved intestinal morphology. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with 60 mg/kg CoQ10 improved growth performance, carcass leanness, PUFA content, and antioxidant status in broiler rabbits.