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Simple Summary: In poultry feed, the oxidative rancidity of lipids is an important factor that affects the quality of feed and the safety of poultry products. Therefore, it is very important to choose and apply antioxidant substances. Tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) is a new and highly effective antioxidant for feeds. However, there is limited information about the effects of TBHQ on animals or poultry in vivo. Moreover, tea polyphenols (TP) are a natural antioxidant that can prevent and treat diseases by scavenging free radicals and regulating the activity of different types of oxidases in the body. This study comprehensively evaluated the effects of a complex antioxidant, the main components of which are TBHQ and TP, on growth performance, meat quality, and antioxidant capacity in broilers. The obtained results revealed that supplementing diets with optimal amounts of TBHQ and TP contributed to serum and liver antioxidant capacity, thereby improving the growth performance and meat quality of broilers. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of diets supplemented with various levels of complex antioxidants (CA) containing tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) and tea polyphenols (TP) on growth performance, meat quality of breast and leg muscles, serum biochemistry, and antioxidant capacity of serum, liver, breast meat, jejunum, and ileum in broilers. A total of 600 one-day-old Arbor Acres male broilers with similar body weights were randomly divided into three groups (10 replicates/group, 20 broilers/replicate). Birds in the three experimental groups were fed a basal diet with CA at 0, 300, and 500 mg/kg. The results showed that supplementing with 300 mg/kg CA significantly increased (p < 0.05) 42 d BW and 22–42 d ADG, and markedly decreased (p < 0.05) 22–42 d F: G ratio in comparison to the control group. Birds fed a diet with 300 mg/kg CA had a higher (p < 0.05) pH of chicken meat at 24 h and 48 h post mortem and lower (p < 0.05) yellowness values (b*) of chicken meat at 45 min and 24 h post mortem, along with a lower (p < 0.05) cooking loss. Supplementing with 300 mg/kg CA significantly increased (p < 0.05) serum and liver T-SOD activity, serum T-AOC level, as well as jejunual GST activity, and significantly decreased (p < 0.05) liver MDA content when compared with the control group. These results indicate that diet supplementation with 300 mg/kg CA containing TBHQ and TP could improve growth performance and meat quality by increasing the antioxidant capacity of broilers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of biolubricants as a replacement for petroleum-based products is becoming more and more important, due to the current global energy and crude oil scenario. Thus, the production of biolubricants (which could take place in biorefineries) should be as efficient as possible, obtaining high-quality products with suitable viscosity or oxidation stability values to compete with oil refineries. One of the ways to produce biolubricants is through double transesterification from vegetable oils, where the role of catalysts (usually homogeneous) is vital, as they can improve the yield of the process. However, they should be removed after the chemical reaction, which is difficult once the biolubricant is obtained. Otherwise, they could act as catalysts during oxidation, contributing to a further decrease in oxidation stability and provoking significant changes. To avoid this, antioxidant addition could be an interesting choice. The aim of this work was to assess TBHQ addition in frying oil biolubricants, monitoring properties such as viscosity, acid number, absorbance or TBHQ content (through voltammetry) during oxidation. TBHQ addition (2114 mg·L−1) kept the main quality parameters during oxidation compared to control samples. In contrast, TBHQ content decreased during oxidation (to 160 mg·L−1), which proved its antioxidant effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. tert-butylhydroquinone (tBHQ) is an antioxidant commonly used as a food additive. Studies suggest that tBHQ could modulate immune responses to influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infection. In our transcriptomic analysis we explored the molecular mechanisms behind tBHQ's modulatory properties and the relationships to respiratory viral infections. Methods. tBHQ was administered per os to BALB/c mice (1.5% [w/w]) for 20 days. Splenic T cells were isolated with magnetic separation and subjected to transcriptomic analysis. Gene-set enrichment analysis and g:Profiler was conducted to provide a functional interpretation of significantly changed genes. Further analysis for AHR/NRF2 binding sites was performed with GeneHancer. Results. In CD4+ cells, we found significantly altered expression of 269 genes by tBHQ. Of them, many had relevance in influenza infection such as genes responsible for virus entry (Anxa1/2, Cd14), interferon signaling (Dusp10, Tnfsf13), or prostaglandin synthesis (Ptgs1/2). In SARS-CoV-2 infections, interferon signaling (Ifitm1), proteolytic enzymes (CtsB), and also cell-surface proteins (Cd14, Cd151) were among the prominent alterations after tBHQ exposure. Of these genes, many had one or more binding sites for AHR and NRF2, two major xenosensors triggered by tBHQ. Conclusions. Our results strongly suggest that a common food additive, tBHQ, can modulate virus-dependent processes in both influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]