Effects of Purple Corn Anthocyanin on Growth Performance, Meat Quality, Muscle Antioxidant Status, and Fatty Acid Profiles in Goats

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Currently, unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) in goat meat have gained popularity among consumers based on the benefits to human health. However, UFAs are prone to lipid oxidation. Purple corn is rich in anthocyanins, which have a wide range of biological activities, such as antioxidation, scavenging free radicals, and preventing lipid peroxidation. This study hypothesized that purple corn anthocyanin can improve meat quality and prevent lipid oxidation by promoting antioxidant status and UFA levels in longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle of growing goats. The results of the current study indicate that dietary supplementation with purple corn anthocyanins has the potential to improve meat quality and prevent lipid oxidation by promoting antioxidant status and regulating related antioxidant gene expression, as well as improving polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations in the longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle of growing goats. ABSTRACT: This study was conducted to examine the effect of purple corn anthocyanin on performance, meat quality, muscle antioxidant activity, antioxidant gene expression, and fatty acid profiles in goats. The feeding trial period lasted 74 d. The adaptation period was 14 d, and the formal experimental period was 60 d. Eighteen Qianbei-pockmarked goats (Guizhou native goat breed; body weight, 21.38 ± 1.61 kg; mean ± standard deviation) were randomly allotted into three equal groups, including a control with no purple corn pigment (PCP) and groups receiving either 0.5 g/d PCP or 1.0 g/d PCP. The inclusion of PCP did not affect (p > 0.05) the dry matter intake, average daily gain, or feed conversion ratio compared to the control group. The addition of PCP reduced (p < 0.05) shear force in the longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle (LTL) during the growth phase of the goats. Goats receiving PCP showed higher (p < 0.05) levels of reduced glutathione, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl scavenging activity and peroxidase in LTL compared to the control. Moreover, compared to the control, the PCP group displayed lower (p < 0.05) concentrations of 12:0, C16:0, and total saturated fatty acids, but increased (p < 0.05) concentrations of various unsaturated fatty acids, including C18:1n9, C20:3n6, C20:4n6, C18:2n6 cis, C20:3n6, C22:5n3, C22:6n3, and total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). The abundance of nuclear factor, erythroid 2 like 2, superoxide dismutase 1, glutathione peroxidase 1, and catalase was upregulated (p < 0.05) in the LTL of goats receiving 0.5 g/d PCP in comparison to the other groups. Collectively, result of the current study indicated that PCP anthocyanin could be used as a source of natural functional additive because anthocyanin-rich PCP has the potential to improve meat quality and enhance muscle antioxidant status as well as improve the proportions of PUFAs in goat muscle.