Dietary pterostilbene supplementation enhances growth performance, meat quality, antioxidant capacity, and cecal microbiota in yellow-feathered broilers.

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 pH24h 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.