Dietary pterostilbene supplementation enhances growth performance, meat quality, antioxidant capacity, and cecal...

This study evaluated effects of dietary supplementation with different levels of pterostilbene (PTE) on growth performance, meat quality, antioxidant capacity, and cecal microbial community in yellow-feathered broilers. A total of 240 one-day-old male broilers with similar initial body weights (36.68 ± 0.27 g) were assigned to four dietary treatments, each having six replicate pens containing ten birds: CON (basal diet), PTE150 (150 mg pterostilbene / kg diet), PTE300 (300 mg pterostilbene /kg diet), and PTE450 (450 mg pterostilbene / kg diet). Dietary supplementation of PTE significantly improved final body weight (FBW) and average daily gain (ADG), and feed conversion ratio (FCR), during the periods of 1-21, 21-42, and 1-42 days (P < 0.05). Broilers fed PTE significantly reduced the pH_24h in muscles (P < 0.05). In breast muscle, PTE significantly decreased b*_15 min, drip loss, and shear force, while it significantly increased the L*_24 h (P < 0.05). In thigh muscle, PTE supplementation significantly increased L*_24 h (P < 0.001), reduced drip loss and cooking loss (P < 0.05). Additionally, dietary PTE supplementation significantly increased moisture content in breast muscle and crude protein content in thigh muscle (P < 0.001). In the serum GSH‑Px, CAT, and SOD were significantly increased (P < 0.05); breast muscle T‑AOC, GSH‑Px, CAT, and SOD were significantly increased (P < 0.05); thigh muscle T‑AOC and CAT were significantly increased (P < 0.05); and jejunal and ileal T‑AOC, GSH‑Px, and SOD were significantly increased (P < 0.05), with jejunal CAT significantly increased (P < 0.05). Concurrently, PTE supplementation resulted in extremely significant reductions in MDA in serum, thigh muscle, and ileum (P < 0.001). Additionally, pterostilbene optimized the gut microbial structure. At the family level, the relative abundances of Ruminococcaceae and Oscillospiraceae in the 300 mg/kg PTE group. PTE exerts significant benefits on growth performance, antioxidant status, and meat quality in yellow‑feathered broilers, along with favorable modulation of the cecal microbiota, supporting its potential as a promising feed additive in commercial broiler production.