Effect of fermented feed on volatile flavor of duck meat through fatty acid metabolism pathways in gut microbiota and muscle

Fermented feed (FF) effectively safeguards animal health as an antibiotic alternative. Despite its growing use, research exploring its impact on the volatile flavor compounds of duck meat remains limited. To address this gap, this study aimed to uncover the fundamental mechanisms underlying FF's influence on these compounds through multi-omics technologies. FF led to significant differences in volatile flavor compounds and free fatty acids (FFAs) between groups. Precursor substances of five key flavor compounds were associated with these differential FFAs, with both cecal microbiota and muscle tissue sequencing highlighting lipid metabolism pathways. In the differential lipid metabolism pathways, key genes were identified that are involved in the regulation of intramuscular fat deposition and fatty acid composition. This research marks a crucial step in assessing antibiotic alternatives' impact on the meat flavor.