Effects of Dietary Conjugated Linoleic Acid on the Growth Performance of Fattening Broiler Duck and the Properties of Its Dry-Cured Products.

The effects of dietary supplementation with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on broiler duck growth performance and the quality of dry-cured products were investigated. Ten days preslaughter with the supplementation of 2 mL/d CLA was more economical and effective. This feeding protocol did not affect growth performance, with CLA accumulation amounting to 3.61 g/100 g. Histopathological observation of tissue morphology revealed that CLA alleviated intestinal damage with no adverse morphological changes in the heart, spleen, liver, or pancreas. Gut microbiota analysis demonstrated that the beneficial Megamonas increased and the pathogenic Streptococcus and Escherichia-Shigella reduced with the supplementation of CLA. Processing broiler ducks into dry-cured products resulted in no significant change in the CLA content. Additionally, CLA had no notable influence on the lipid oxidation or shelf life of dry-cured ducks. These findings indicate that dietary CLA does not impair dry-cured duck quality, supporting the development of functional CLA-enriched meat products.