Effects of lactic acid bacteria-derived fermented feed on the taste and quality of duck meat

[Display omitted] •Meat of pH and cooking loss changed significantly after duck fed fermented feed.•Fermented feed addition of 40% is deemed optimal to enhance meat taste and quality.•Taste flavor in duck meat is mainly regulated by amino acid metabolic pathways. The present study aimed to examine the impact of lactic acid bacteria- fermented feed (FF) on the taste and quality of duck meat, in addition to elucidating the potential metabolomic mechanism at play. The findings revealed that ducks fed with FF exhibited elevated pH levels and reduced cooking loss in their meat when compared to the control group. In addition, the sensory evaluation and e-tongue analysis revealed that the tenderness, juiciness, umami, richness, saltiness, and sweetness of duck meat were all enhanced by feeding FF. Moreover, an examination of the metabolome using 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) identified the principal differential metabolites that exhibited a correlation with taste, which included 2-aminoadipate, glucose, glycine, N-acetylcysteine, niacinamide, proline, and threonine. Furthermore, the differential metabolites that exhibited the greatest enrichment in duck meat could be primarily traced to glutathione metabolism, glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, taurine and hypotaurine metabolism. The potential factors contributing to the effect of FF and basic commercial duck feed (CF) were found to be primarily regulated via the aforementioned metabolic pathways. The study, therefore, offers a viable approach for enhancing the taste and quality of duck meat.