Abstract:
In order to study the effects of adding different proportions of α-lipoic acid in diets on growth performance, serum immune and antioxidant indexes and meat quality of rabbits, in the experiment, 240 35-day-old rabbits of similar weights were randomly divided into four groups, with three replicates in each group, and 20 rabbits in each replicate. The control group was fed the basal diet, and 200, 400, 600 mg/kg of α-lipoic acid were added to the basal diet in test Ⅰ, Ⅱ, Ⅲ groups. The pre-test period was five days and the formal period was 35 days. Growth indexes, serum immune and antioxidant indexes and rabbit meat quality indexes were measured. The results showed that the average daily weight gain of the test Ⅱ group was significantly higher than that of the control group(P<0.05), and the material-to-weight ratio of the test Ⅱ group was significantly lower than that of the control group and the test Ⅰ group(P<0.05). The serum Immunoglobulin A(IgA) content in the test Ⅱ group was significantly higher than that in the control group and the test Ⅰ group(P<0.05), and the serum IgG content in the test Ⅱ group and the test Ⅲ group was significantly higher than that in the control group(P<0.05). The total autioxidant capacity(T-AOC) of test Ⅱ and Ⅲ groups was significantly higher than that of control group and test Ⅰ group(P<0.05), the GSH-Px and SOD activities of test Ⅱ group and test Ⅲ group were significantly higher than that of control group(P<0.05), and the contents of MDA in the three test groups were significantly lower than that in the control group(P<0.05). The pH
24 h of test Ⅱ and Ⅲ groups were significantly higher than that in the control group(P<0.05), the drip loss rates in test Ⅱ and Ⅲ groups were significantly lower than that in the control group(P<0.05); the brightness L
* and yellowness b
* values in test Ⅱ group were significantly lower than those in the control group(P<0.05), while the difference of redness a
* values between the groups was not significant(P>0.05). The results indicated that adding an appropriate amount of α-lipoic acid to the diet could effectively improve the growth performance, enhance its immune and antioxidant capacity, and improve the meat quality of rabbits. Under these experimental conditions, it was recommended that the addition of α-lipoic acid in rabbit diet was 400 mg/kg.