Amir Hossein Alizadeh-Ghamsari *1 
, Seyed Abdullah Hosseini2, Hosna Hajati2, Seyed Adel Moftakharzadeh2, Mohammad Ali Behroozilak2, Hamid Teimouri3, Farhad Foroudi4, Mehdi Mojibi Meikolaei4
, Seyed Abdullah Hosseini2, Hosna Hajati2, Seyed Adel Moftakharzadeh2, Mohammad Ali Behroozilak2, Hamid Teimouri3, Farhad Foroudi4, Mehdi Mojibi Meikolaei4
1- , Department of Animal and Poultry Nutrition and Physiology, Animal Science Research Institute of Iran, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran
2- Department of Animal and Poultry Nutrition and Physiology, Animal Science Research Institute of Iran, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran
3- Animal Science Research Institute of Iran, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran
4- Member of the Research and Development Group of Kourosh Livestock and Poultry Company, Tehran, Iran
2- Department of Animal and Poultry Nutrition and Physiology, Animal Science Research Institute of Iran, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran
3- Animal Science Research Institute of Iran, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran
4- Member of the Research and Development Group of Kourosh Livestock and Poultry Company, Tehran, Iran
Abstract: (756 Views)
Extended Abstract
Background: In recent decades, the global poultry industry has faced multiple challenges, particularly the increasing legal restrictions and public concerns regarding the use of antibiotic growth promoters. These restrictions are mainly due to the risk of microbial resistance and the threat to public health, which has highlighted the necessity of seeking safe and appropriate alternatives. Among these, prebiotics, as indigestible compounds that provide a suitable substrate for the growth of beneficial intestinal bacteria, have attracted considerable attention. Research evidence has shown that the consumption of these compounds can, through increasing beneficial microbial populations, producing short-chain fatty acids, stimulating the immune system, and improving intestinal morphological characteristics, enhance the overall performance of poultry. However, the results of studies in this field have not always been consistent and conclusive. Such inconsistency of findings suggests that the impact of prebiotics depends on type, dosage, and rearing conditions. Since new combined products may exhibit different effects compared to individual prebiotics, their evaluation is of particular importance. Accordingly, a prebiotic supplement produced based on the combination of inulin and yeast cell wall may provide a practical response to the poultry industry’s need for non-antibiotic growth promoters. Therefore, this study was designed and conducted to evaluate the effects of a combined prebiotic on productive traits, microbial populations, and intestinal morphological characteristics of broiler chickens.
Methods: The present study was conducted using 750 one-day-old Ross 308 broiler chicks (mixed sex in equal ratio) in a completely randomized design with five treatments, five replicates, and 30 chicks per replicate (pen). The experimental groups included 1) a basal diet without prebiotic (control), 2-4) basal diets containing the prebiotic Prolin (based on inulin and Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell wall) at levels of 500, 750, and 1000 g/ton, respectively, and 5) a basal diet containing antibiotic (zinc bacitracin) at 1000 g/ton of feed, which were provided from days 1 to 42. At the end of each rearing period (days 10, 24, and 42), group weighing and feed intake measurement were performed for each replicate, and daily mortalities were recorded and weighed to calculate feed conversion ratio (FCR), livability rate, production index, and feed cost per kilogram of live weight. At day 42, blood samples were collected from two birds in each experimental unit, and antibody titers against Newcastle and avian influenza disease vaccines were determined using the hemagglutination inhibition test. Moreover, blood was collected from one other bird in each replicate with a heparinized syringe to perform differential white blood cell counts, and the heterophil-to-lymphocyte ratio was calculated afterward. At the same age, two birds with body weights close to the group average were slaughtered, their ileal content were collected, and microbial populations, including Lactobacillus spp., coliforms, and Gram-negative bacteria, were enumerated using selective media. Moreover, tissue samples of the mid-jejunum tissue were isolated and stained with hematoxylin and eosin to measure the morphological characteristics, including villus length and width, crypt depth, villus height-to-crypt depth ratio, and villus surface area. All data were analyzed using the GLM procedure of SAS software (version 9.4), and mean comparisons were performed by Duncan’s test at the 5% significance level. Additionally, to determine linear or quadratic relationships between levels of prebiotic intake, the data were subjected to orthogonal analysis, and the significance was reported at the 5% level.
Results: At day 10, adding 750 g of the prebiotic per ton of feed significantly improved the body weight and FCR of broiler chickens compared with the other experimental groups (P < 0.05). At day 24, the lowest FCR belonged to the group receiving 500 g of the prebiotic per ton of feed, and its difference with the control and the 750 g prebiotic group was significant (P < 0.05). At day 42, supplementing 500 g of the prebiotic per ton of feed significantly improved body weight, FCR, and the production index compared with the control (P < 0.05). The livability rate was higher in the groups receiving 1000 g of the prebiotic and the antibiotic per ton of feed than in the other experimental groups (P < 0.05). The lowest feed cost was observed in the groups receiving 500 g of the prebiotic and the antibiotic, and the difference between the former group and the other treatments was significant, except for the antibiotic (P < 0.05). The use of different levels of the prebiotic in the diet did not significantly affect feed intake (during different rearing periods), antibody titers against Newcastle and avian influenza disease vaccines, or differential white blood counts (P > 0.05). The highest villus surface area of the jejunum among the prebiotic groups was observed in birds receiving 750 g of the prebiotic per ton of feed (P < 0.05). Supplementation with different levels of prebiotic linearly and quadratically increased the population of Lactobacillus spp. in the ileal contents (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: Overall, prebiotic supplementation improved productive traits, intestinal morphology, and gut microbial balance, supporting its role as a suitable alternative to antibiotic growth promoters. Considering the reduction in feed cost per kg live weight (more than 5.5% compared with the control), dietary supplementation of this product is recommended at a level of 500 g.
Background: In recent decades, the global poultry industry has faced multiple challenges, particularly the increasing legal restrictions and public concerns regarding the use of antibiotic growth promoters. These restrictions are mainly due to the risk of microbial resistance and the threat to public health, which has highlighted the necessity of seeking safe and appropriate alternatives. Among these, prebiotics, as indigestible compounds that provide a suitable substrate for the growth of beneficial intestinal bacteria, have attracted considerable attention. Research evidence has shown that the consumption of these compounds can, through increasing beneficial microbial populations, producing short-chain fatty acids, stimulating the immune system, and improving intestinal morphological characteristics, enhance the overall performance of poultry. However, the results of studies in this field have not always been consistent and conclusive. Such inconsistency of findings suggests that the impact of prebiotics depends on type, dosage, and rearing conditions. Since new combined products may exhibit different effects compared to individual prebiotics, their evaluation is of particular importance. Accordingly, a prebiotic supplement produced based on the combination of inulin and yeast cell wall may provide a practical response to the poultry industry’s need for non-antibiotic growth promoters. Therefore, this study was designed and conducted to evaluate the effects of a combined prebiotic on productive traits, microbial populations, and intestinal morphological characteristics of broiler chickens.
Methods: The present study was conducted using 750 one-day-old Ross 308 broiler chicks (mixed sex in equal ratio) in a completely randomized design with five treatments, five replicates, and 30 chicks per replicate (pen). The experimental groups included 1) a basal diet without prebiotic (control), 2-4) basal diets containing the prebiotic Prolin (based on inulin and Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell wall) at levels of 500, 750, and 1000 g/ton, respectively, and 5) a basal diet containing antibiotic (zinc bacitracin) at 1000 g/ton of feed, which were provided from days 1 to 42. At the end of each rearing period (days 10, 24, and 42), group weighing and feed intake measurement were performed for each replicate, and daily mortalities were recorded and weighed to calculate feed conversion ratio (FCR), livability rate, production index, and feed cost per kilogram of live weight. At day 42, blood samples were collected from two birds in each experimental unit, and antibody titers against Newcastle and avian influenza disease vaccines were determined using the hemagglutination inhibition test. Moreover, blood was collected from one other bird in each replicate with a heparinized syringe to perform differential white blood cell counts, and the heterophil-to-lymphocyte ratio was calculated afterward. At the same age, two birds with body weights close to the group average were slaughtered, their ileal content were collected, and microbial populations, including Lactobacillus spp., coliforms, and Gram-negative bacteria, were enumerated using selective media. Moreover, tissue samples of the mid-jejunum tissue were isolated and stained with hematoxylin and eosin to measure the morphological characteristics, including villus length and width, crypt depth, villus height-to-crypt depth ratio, and villus surface area. All data were analyzed using the GLM procedure of SAS software (version 9.4), and mean comparisons were performed by Duncan’s test at the 5% significance level. Additionally, to determine linear or quadratic relationships between levels of prebiotic intake, the data were subjected to orthogonal analysis, and the significance was reported at the 5% level.
Results: At day 10, adding 750 g of the prebiotic per ton of feed significantly improved the body weight and FCR of broiler chickens compared with the other experimental groups (P < 0.05). At day 24, the lowest FCR belonged to the group receiving 500 g of the prebiotic per ton of feed, and its difference with the control and the 750 g prebiotic group was significant (P < 0.05). At day 42, supplementing 500 g of the prebiotic per ton of feed significantly improved body weight, FCR, and the production index compared with the control (P < 0.05). The livability rate was higher in the groups receiving 1000 g of the prebiotic and the antibiotic per ton of feed than in the other experimental groups (P < 0.05). The lowest feed cost was observed in the groups receiving 500 g of the prebiotic and the antibiotic, and the difference between the former group and the other treatments was significant, except for the antibiotic (P < 0.05). The use of different levels of the prebiotic in the diet did not significantly affect feed intake (during different rearing periods), antibody titers against Newcastle and avian influenza disease vaccines, or differential white blood counts (P > 0.05). The highest villus surface area of the jejunum among the prebiotic groups was observed in birds receiving 750 g of the prebiotic per ton of feed (P < 0.05). Supplementation with different levels of prebiotic linearly and quadratically increased the population of Lactobacillus spp. in the ileal contents (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: Overall, prebiotic supplementation improved productive traits, intestinal morphology, and gut microbial balance, supporting its role as a suitable alternative to antibiotic growth promoters. Considering the reduction in feed cost per kg live weight (more than 5.5% compared with the control), dietary supplementation of this product is recommended at a level of 500 g.
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