Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Xylo-oligosaccharides improve meat quality and modulate the microbiota composition of Magang geese aged 22-50 days

The evaluation of prebiotics and probiotics as additives for the enhancement of goose health and meat quality is still limited. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of <i>Lactobacillus rhamnosus</i> (<i>LGG</i>), xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS), and fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) on growth performance, meat quality, and intestinal microbiota of Magang geese aged 22 to 50 days. A total of 720 22-day-old Magang geese were randomly assigned into four groups with six replicates of thirty geese per each. The control group was fed a basal diet, while the experimental groups were supplemented with 1 × 10¹⁰ cfu/kg <i>LGG</i>, 0.3 % XOS, and 0.4 % FOS respectively. The experiment lasted for 28 days. Our results indicated that these dietary 1 × 10¹⁰ cfu/kg <i>LGG</i>, 0.3 % XOS or 0.4 % FOS supplementation did not significantly alter growth performance of 22-50d Magang geese (P > 0.05). But thigh muscle yellowness in the XOS group was significantly higher than that in the CON group (P < 0.05), and muscle fiber density in the XOS group was lower than those in the CON and FOS groups (P < 0.05). <i>LGG</i> also decreased the cooking loss of breast muscle compared to the CON group (P < 0.05). Notably, <i>LGG</i> and XOS extremely increased the contents of C20:3n3, C24:1n9 and PUFA in thigh muscles of geese compared with those in CON and FOS groups (P < 0.01), suggesting an association between their supplementation and enhanced meat quality in geese. 16s rRNA sequencing analysis revealed that <i>LGG</i> supplementation increased <i>Bifidobacterium</i> (P = 0.0553), At the genus level, the populations of <i>Lactobacillus</i> (P = 0.0949) and <i>Blautia</i> (P < 0.05) were increased, while that of <i>Romboutsia</i> (P < 0.05) was decreased. Correlation analysis demonstrated strong associations between muscle fatty acid composition and specific bacterial taxa from <i>Bacteroidota</i> (e.g., <i>Bacteroides</i> and <i>Alistipes</i>) and <i>Firmicutes</i> (e.g., <i>Peptostreptococcaceae</i> and <i>Faecalibacterium</i>) (P < 0.01). In summary, while <i>LGG</i>, XOS, and FOS supplementation showed limited effects on goose growth, <i>LGG</i> and XOS significantly elevated thigh muscle PUFA content, underscoring their potential to enhance meat nutritional value through gut microbiota modulation.