Effects of dietary supplementation of oriental herbal medicine residue and methyl sulfonyl methane on the growth performance and meat quality of ducks

The present study was conducted to determine the effect of supplementation with oriental herbal medicine residue (OHMR) and methyl sulfonyl methane (MSM) on the growth performance and meat quality of ducks during a 42-day feeding period. In total, 270 Cherry Valley male ducklings were fed diets supplemented with 0.03% MSM alone (MSM group) and with a combination of 0.03% MSM and 0.5% OHMR (MSM-OHMR group). Supplementing the diet with a combination of OHMR and MSM resulted in a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in the mortality rate and serum total cholesterol concentration, and in an increase in the antioxidant enzyme activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase in duck breast muscle (Musculus pectoralis) by 3 and 6 weeks. Moreover, MSM-OHMR as well as MSM alone affected meat quality of ducks by increasing the concentrations of crude protein and sulfur content, and water-holding capacity, and by decreasing percentage moisture loss and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances during cold storage. Significant differences were detected in concentrations of total unsaturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which were significantly (P<0.05) higher in the MSM-OHMR group. These results suggest that diets containing MSM and OHMR possessing free-radical scavenging activities, such as for 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and alkyl radicals, may beneficially affect growth performance and meat quality in ducks.