Effect of feeding fermented and non-fermented palm kernel cake on the performance of broiler chickens: a review

Palm kernel cake (PKC) is a by-product of oil extraction from palm fruits and has been included in poultry diets as an alternative to soybean meal and yellow corn. Due to its high content of fibre, coarse texture and gritty appearance, the use of PKC in poultry nutrition is limited. In order to increase the nutritive value of PKC, there is a tendency nowadays to create solid state fermentation (SSF) by using cellulolytic microbes. This paper reviews the impact of feeding fermented and non-fermented PKC on the performance of broiler chickens. Recent studies have reported that SSF by cellulolytic microorganisms improved the nutritive value of PKC. The nutrient digestibility has been increased significantly in PKC fermented using Paenibacillus polymyxya ATCC 842 or Weisella confusa SR-17b. The availability of valine, histidine, methionine and arginine was 70.42%, 71.50%, 71.92% and 81.15%, respectively, in PKC fermented using P. polymyxa ATCC 842. The digestibility of crude protein (CP) increased by 61.83% and 59.90% in PKC fermented using P. polymyxya ATCC 842 or W. confusa SR-17b, respectively. In addition, body weight gain (BWG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) improved significantly in broilers fed 15% fermented PKC compared to those fed 15% non-fermented PKC (2000.43 g versus 1823.23 g and 1.75 versus 1.91, respectively). The intestinal Enterobacteriaceae decreased (4.03 CFU/g) and lactic acid bacteria increased (5.56 CFU/g) in birds fed 15% PKC fermented by P. polymyxa ATCC 842. Therefore, fermented PKC can be included in a broiler diet up to 15%, replacing part of soybean and yellow corn in the diet, leading to a decrease in the overall cost of poultry feeding

Effects of postbiotic supplementation on growth performance, ruminal fermentation and microbial profile, blood metabolite and GHR, IGF-1 and MCT-1 gene expression in post-weaning lambs

Background: Postbiotics have been established as potential feed additive to be used in monogastric such as poultry and swine to enhance health and growth performance. However, information on the postbiotics as feed additive in ruminants is very limited. The aim of this study was to elucidate the effects of supplementation of postbiotics in newly-weaned lambs on growth performance, digestibility, rumen fermentation characteristics and microbial population, blood metabolite and expression of genes related to growth and volatile fatty acid transport across the rumen epithelium. Results: Postbiotic supplementation increased weight gain, feed intake, nutrient intake and nutrient digestibility of the lambs. No effect on ruminal pH and total VFA, whereas butyrate and ruminal ammonia-N concentration were improved. The lambs fed with postbiotics had higher blood total protein, urea nitrogen and glucose. However, no difference was observed in blood triglycerides and cholesterol levels. Postbiotics increased the population of fibre degrading bacteria but decreased total protozoa and methanogens in rumen. Postbiotics increased the mRNA expression of hepatic IGF-1 and ruminal MCT-1. Conclusions: The inclusion of postbiotics from L. plantarum RG14 in newly-weaned lambs improved growth performance, nutrient intake and nutrient digestibility reflected from better rumen fermentation and microbial parameters, blood metabolites and upregulation of growth and nutrient intake genes in the post-weaning lambs

Postbiotics as antioxidant and antimicrobial agents on the enhancement of growth performance, immunity, biomarker responses, meat quality and carcass characteristics in broilers under heat stress

Three experiments were conducted to study the effects of feeding postbiotics of L. plantarum on the performance of broiler chickens under heat stress. In vitro study was initially conducted to determine the antioxidant capacity and inhibitory activity against pathogens of six postbiotics (RG14, RG11, RI11, TL1, RS5, and UL4) obtained from different strains of Lactobacillus plantarum and then to select the best postbiotics based on the antioxidant activity. The 2,2-Diphenyl-1-Picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis (3-thylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic) acid (ABTS) assays were used to examine the antioxidant activity of all postbiotics and ascorbic acid was used as standard antioxidant. The modified inhibitory activity (MAU) of the postbiotics was tested against pathogenic microorganisms such as Pediococcus acidilactici, Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli, vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and Listeria monocytogenes. The oxytetracycline (OTC) was used as a positive control. The results indicated that all postbiotics showed activity to scavenging free radicals in both DPPH and ABTS assays. The RI11 demonstrated the highest scavenge of free radicals, followed by UL4, then RS5 as compared to other postbiotics (RG14, RG11 and TL1). All postbiotics (RI11, RS5 and UL4) had higher MAU/mL than OTC against all indicator organisms except VRE. Among the postbiotics, there was no different in MAU/mL against E.coli, VRE and L. monocytogenes. Postbiotic RS5 had higher inhibition activity against P. acidilactici and Salmonella than UL4, whereas RS5 was not different with RI11. Postbiotics RS5 and RI11 had higher optical density and lower pH, which corresponds to increase in inhibitory activity against indicator organisms. The results of the present study showed that postbiotics (RI11, RS5 and UL4) have the highest ability to scavenge free radicals and prevent the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria and thus chosen for evaluation in the following in vivo study. A feeding trial was then conducted to examine the effect of postbiotics on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, gut microbial population and histology, immune status, acute phase proteins and HSP70, antioxidant activity, meat quality and gene expression related to growth in broilers under heat stress. A total of 252 one-day-old male broiler chicks (Cobb 500) were randomly assigned in cages in identical environmentally controlled chambers. During the starter period from 1 to 21 days, all the birds were fed the same basal diet. On day 22, the birds were weighed and randomly divided into six treatment groups and exposed to cyclic high temperature at 36 ± 1 °C for 3 h per day from 11:00 to 14:00 until the end of the experiment. From day 22 to 42 (finisher period), an equal number of birds were subjected to one of the following diets: NC (negative control) basal diet; OTC (positive control) basal diet + 0.02% oxytetracycline; or AA (ascorbic acid) basal diet + 0.02% ascorbic acid. The other three groups (RI11, RS5 and UL4) were basal diet + 0.3% different postbiotics. The results demonstrated that birds fed RI11 diets had higher final body weight, total weight gain and average daily gain than the birds that received the NC, OTC and AA treatments. The feed conversion ratio was higher in the RI11 group compared with other groups. Dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM) and crude protein (CP) digestibility increased in broilers fed postbiotics RI11 and UL4 compared to NC and OTC groups. Carcass parameters were not affected by the postbiotic-supplemented diet. Postbiotic supplementation improved villi height in the duodenum, jejunum and ileum compared to the NC, OTC and AA treatments. The crypt depth of the duodenum and ileum was higher in NC group compared to other treatment groups except RI11 in duodenum, and UL4 in ileum was not different with NC groups. The villus height to crypt depth ratio of duodenum and ileum was higher for the postbiotic treatment groups and AA than the OTC and NC treatment groups. The postbiotic RI11 group recorded higher caecum total bacteria and Lactobacillus counts and lower Salmonella count compared to the NC and OTC treatment groups. The Bifidobacterium population in the NC group was lower compared to the other treatment groups. The postbiotic (RI11, RS5 and UL4) and AA treatment groups showed lower Enterobacteriaceae and E. coli counts and caecal pH than the NC and OTC treatment groups. The plasma immunoglobulin M (IgM) level was higher in the birds receiving postbiotic RI11 than those receiving other treatments. The plasma immunoglobulin G (IgG) level was higher in the RI11 treatment group than in the NC, AA and RS5 groups. The plasma immunoglobulin A (IgA) level was not affected by postbiotic supplements. Addition of postbiotics especially RI11 in broiler diets reduced plasma concentration of the α1-AGP (alpha1-acid glycoprotein) and CPN (ceruloplasmin) compared to other groups. The plasma T-AOC, CAT and GSH concentration was higher in RI11 and UL4 groups compared to other groups. The meat MDA (malondialdehyde) level for lipid peroxidation was lower in postbiotics and AA groups than NC and OTC groups. Feeding RI11, RS5 and UL4 decreased drip loss, cooking loss and shear force of breast meat compared to other groups. The RI11 increased the meat pH and decreased L* and b* as compared to NC and OTC groups. However, there was no difference between postbiotics and AA in meat pH, shear force and L* colour. The hepatic GHR mRNA expression level was increase in birds fed postbiotics RI11, RS5 and UL4, AA and OTC compared to the NC-fed birds. Postbiotic RI11 led to higher hepatic IGF-1 mRNA expression level compared to the NC, OTC, and AA treatments. Mortality was not significantly different among all the treatments. In conclusion, among the postbiotics applied in the current study as compared with NC, OTC and AA, postbiotic produced from L. plantarum RI11 could be used as a potential alternative to antibiotic growth promoter and source of antioxidant in the poultry industry. The subsequent feeding trial was conducted to examine the effects of feeding different levels of postbiotic RI11 on growth performance, digestibility, intestinal histomorphology, gut microbiota, lipid profile, antioxidant enzyme activity, immune response, meat quality, acute phase proteins and HSP70 mRNA expression, gene expression of mucosal immunity and intestinal barrier function and growth hormones in broilers under heat stress. In this experiment, the same animals, environment and management as described in previous experiment. The birds were fed on the following diets: 0.0% (negative control) basal diet; OTC (positive control) basal diet + 0.02% oxytetracycline; AA (ascorbic acid) basal diet + 0.02% ascorbic acid. Four further groups were the basal diet + (0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6% and 0.8%) postbiotic RI11 of the respective levels. Supplementation of 0.4%, 0.6% and 0.8% RI11 increased final body weight, total weight gain, average daily gain, digestibility of DM, CP, EE (ether extract) and better FCR than the birds fed the 0.0% RI11, OTC and AA treatments. Increasing the level of postbiotic RI11 in diet increased growth performance, nutrient digestibility, FCR, EE digestibility, total bacteria and Bifidobacterium population and decreased ceacal pH, E.coli and Clostridium population. Supplementation of different levels of postbiotic RI11 increased beneficial bacteria population, villi height, VH: CD (Villi height: crypt depth) ratio in the duodenum, jejunum and ileum, increased plasma glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT) and glutathione (GSH) enzyme activity, plasma IgM and mucosal IgA concentration, and reduced pathogen load, intestinal crypt depth, decreased MDA concentration of meat, decreased plasma α1- AGP and CPN concentration as compared to negative control and OTC groups. Feeding various dosage of postbiotic RI11 decreased the drip loss, cooking loss, shear force, lightness and yellowness of breast meat, increased the pH of meat, decreased total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) as compared to 0.0% RI11 and OTC groups. However, no difference was observed in blood HDL, meat redness, OM and ash digestibility and plasma IgG levels. Different levels of RI11 in broiler diets showed improvement in meat quality after 7 days storage period and decreased MDA level as compared to negative and OTC groups. Postbiotic RI11 groups increased the mRNA expression of hepatic IGF-1, GHR, IL-10 and decreased of IL-8, TNF, HSP70 and α1-AGP levels compared to the negative control and OTC groups. Postbiotics also improved the integrity of the intestinal barrier by the upregulation of ZO-1 and MUC2 mRNA expression. However, no difference was observed in CLDN1 expression, but downregulation for OCLN expression in birds fed RI11 as compared with the 0.0% RI11. Supplementation of postbiotic RI11 in different levels quadratically increased the villi height, duodenum VH:CD ratio, plasma GPx, CAT and GSH activities, mucosal IgA and plasma IgM concentration, IGF-1, GHR, IL-10, MUC2 and ZO-1 mRNA expression, and reduced intestinal crypt depth, cholesterol profile, plasma CPN level, IL-8, TNF, α1-AGP and HSP70 mRNA expression. Supplementation of postbiotic RI11 at level 0.6% was sufficient to achieve the improvement in health and growth performance of broiler chickens under heat stress as compared to other levels. In conclusion, the results suggested that 0.6% (v/w) of postbiotic produced from L. plantarum RI11 could be a prospective alternative to the antibiotic as a growth promoter and antioxidant additives in the poultry industry

Effects of Feeding Different Postbiotics Produced by Lactobacillus plantarum on Growth Performance, Carcass Yield, Intestinal Morphology, Gut Microbiota Composition, Immune Status, and Growth Gene Expression in Broilers under Heat Stress

The effects of feeding different postbiotics on growth performance, carcass yield, intestinal morphology, gut microbiota, immune status, and growth hormone receptor (GHR) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) gene expression in broilers under heat stress were assessed in this study. A total of 252 one-day-old male broiler chicks (Cobb 500) were randomly assigned in cages in identical environmentally controlled chambers. During the starter period from 1 to 21 days, all the birds were fed the same basal diet. On day 22, the birds were weighed and randomly divided into six treatment groups and exposed to cyclic high temperature at 36 ± 1 °C for 3 h per day from 11:00 to 14:00 until the end of the experiment. From day 22 to 42 (finisher period), an equal number of birds were subjected to one of the following diets: NC (negative control) basal diet; PC (positive control) basal diet + 0.02% oxytetracycline; or AA (ascorbic acid) basal diet + 0.02% ascorbic acid. The other three groups (RI11, RS5 and UL4) were basal diet + 0.3% different postbiotics (produced from different Lactobacillus plantarum strains, and defined as RI11, RS5 and UL4, respectively). The results demonstrated that birds fed RI11 diets had significantly higher final body weight, total weight gain and average daily gain than the birds that received the NC, PC and AA treatments. The feed conversion ratio was significantly higher in the RI11 group compared with the other groups. Carcass parameters were not affected by the postbiotic-supplemented diet. Postbiotic supplementation improved villi height significantly in the duodenum, jejunum and ileum compared to the NC, PC and AA treatments. The crypt depth of the duodenum and ileum was significantly higher in NC group compared to other treatment groups except RI11 in duodenum, and UL4 in ileum was not different with NC groups. The villus height to crypt depth ratio of duodenum and ileum was significantly higher for the postbiotic treatment groups and AA than the PC and NC treatment groups. The postbiotic RI11 group recorded significantly higher caecum total bacteria and Lactobacillus count and lower Salmonella count compared to the NC and PC treatment groups. The Bifidobacterium population in the NC group was significantly lower compared to the other treatment groups. The postbiotic (RI11, RS5 and UL4) and AA treatment groups showed lower Enterobacteriaceae and E. coli counts and caecal pH than the NC and PC treatment groups. The plasma immunoglobulin M (IgM) level was significantly higher in the birds receiving postbiotic RI11 than those receiving other treatments. The plasma immunoglobulin G (IgG) level was higher in the RI11 treatment group than in the NC, AA and RS5 groups. The plasma immunoglobulin A (IgA) level was not affected by postbiotic supplements. The hepatic GHR mRNA expression level was significantly increased in birds fed postbiotics RI11, RS5 and UL4, AA and PC compared to the NC-fed birds. Postbiotic RI11 led to significantly higher hepatic IGF-1 mRNA expression level compared to the NC, PC, and AA treatments. Mortality was numerically lesser in the postbiotic treatment groups, but not significantly different among all the treatments. In conclusion, among the postbiotics applied in the current study as compared with NC, PC and AA, RI11 could be used as a potential alternative antibiotic growth promoter and anti-stress treatment in the poultry industry

Dietary postbiotic Lactobacillus plantarum improves serum and ruminal antioxidant activity and upregulates hepatic antioxidant enzymes and ruminal barrier function in post-weaning lambs

Postbiotics from Lactobacillus plantarum have been reported to improve growth performance, nutrient utilization, immune status and gut health in livestock. However, there is scarce information on the antioxidant activity of postbiotics and its modulation of antioxidant activity and rumen barrier function in animals. We investigated the antioxidant activity of postbiotics from L. plantarum RG14, RG11 and TL1 and dietary effects in post-weaning lambs on serum and ruminal antioxidant activity, hepatic antioxidant enzymes and ruminal barrier function. Postbiotic RG14 showed the highest antioxidant activity in both 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assay and was chosen to be evaluated in animal trials. Twelve post-weaning Dorper lambs were allotted to the control group and postbiotic group (0.9% (v/w) postbiotic RG14). The improvement in antioxidant activity of the postbiotic group was observed by greater glutathione peroxidase (GPX) in serum and ruminal fluid and lower serum TBARS. The findings were strengthened by the upregulation of hepatic GPX1, GPX4 and copper, zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn SOD) in the postbiotic group. Lambs received postbiotics had higher regulation of rumen barrier function through upregulation of tight junction protein (TJP), occludin (OCLD), claudin-1 (CLDN1) and CLDN4. The current study demonstrated that dietary postbiotics enhanced the serum and ruminal fluid antioxidant activity, reduced the serum lipid peroxidation and upregulated hepatic antioxidant enzymes and ruminal barrier function

Supplementation of postbiotic RI11 improves antioxidant enzymes activity, upregulated gut barrier genes and reduced cytokine, acute phase proteins and heat shock protein70 gene expression levels in heat-stressed broilers

The aim of this work was to evaluate the impacts of feeding different levels of postbiotic RI11 on antioxidant enzyme activity, physiological stress indicators, and cytokine and gut barrier gene expression in broilers under heat stress. A total of 252 male broilers Cobb 500 were allocated in cages in environmentally controlled chambers. All the broilers received the same basal diet from 1 to 21 d. On day 22, the broilers were weighed and grouped into 7 treatment groups and exhibited to cyclic high temperature at 36 ± 1°C for 3 h per day until the end of the experiment. From day 22 to 42, broilers were fed with one of the 7 following diets: negative control, basal diet (0.0% RI11) (NC group); positive control, NC diet + 0.02% (w/w) oxytetracycline (OTC group); antioxidant control, NC diet + 0.02% (w/w) ascorbic acid. The other 4 other groups were as follows: NC diet + 0.2% cell-free supernatant (postbiotic RI11) (v/w), NC diet + 0.4% cell-free supernatant (postbiotic RI11) (v/w), NC diet + 0.6% cell-free supernatant (postbiotic RI11) (v/w), and NC diet + 0.8% cell-free supernatant (postbiotic RI11) (v/w). Supplementation of different levels (0.4, 0.6, and 0.8%) of postbiotic RI11 increased plasma glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and glutathione enzyme activity. Postbiotic RI11 groups particularly at levels of 0.4 and 0.6% upregulated the mRNA expression of IL-10 and downregulated the IL-8, tumor necrosis factor alpha, heat shock protein 70, and alpha-1-acid glycoprotein levels compared with the NC and OTC groups. Feeding postbiotic RI11, particularly at the level of 0.6%, upregulated ileum zonula occludens-1 and mucin 2 mRNA expressions. However, no difference was observed in ileum claudin 1, ceruloplasmin, IL-6, IL-2, and interferon expression, but downregulation of occludin expression was observed as compared with the NC group. Supplementation of postbiotic RI11 at different levels quadratically increased plasma glutathione peroxidase, catalase and glutathione, IL-10, mucin 2, and zonula occludens-1 mRNA expression and reduced plasma IL-8, tumor necrosis factor alpha, alpha-1-acid glycoprotein, and heat shock protein 70 mRNA expression. The results suggested that postbiotics produced from Lactiplantibacillus plantarum RI11 especially at the level of 0.6% (v/w) could be used as an alternative to antibiotics and natural sources of antioxidants in poultry feeding

Dietary Supplementation of Postbiotics Mitigates Adverse Impacts of Heat Stress on Antioxidant Enzyme Activity, Total Antioxidant, Lipid Peroxidation, Physiological Stress Indicators, Lipid Profile and Meat Quality in Broilers

The purpose of this work was to evaluate the impacts of feeding different postbiotics on oxidative stress markers, physiological stress indicators, lipid profile and meat quality in heat-stressed broilers. A total of 252 male Cobb 500 (22-day-old) were fed with 1 of 6 diets: A basal diet without any supplementation as negative control (NC); basal diet + 0.02% oxytetracycline served as positive control (PC); basal diet + 0.02% ascorbic acid (AA); or the basal diet diet + 0.3% of RI11, RS5 or UL4 postbiotics. Postbiotics supplementation, especially RI11 increased plasma activity of total-antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), catalase (CAT) and glutathione (GSH), and decreased alpha-1-acid-glycoprotein (α1-AGP) and ceruloplasmin (CPN) compared to NC and PC groups. Meat malondialdehyde (MDA) was lower in the postbiotic groups than the NC, PC and AA groups. Plasma corticosterone, heat shock protein70 (HSP70) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) were not affected by dietary treatments. Postbiotics decreased plasma cholesterol concentration compared to other groups, and plasma triglyceride and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) compared to the NC group. Postbiotics increased breast meat pH, and decreased shear force and lightness (L*) compared to NC and PC groups. The drip loss, cooking loss and yellowness (b*) were lower in postbiotics groups compared to other groups. In conclusion, postbiotics particularly RI11 could be used as an alternative to antibiotics and natural sources of antioxidants for heat-stressed broilers

Effects of feeding different postbiotics produced by Lactobacillus plantarum on growth performance, carcass yield, intestinal morphology, gut microbiota composition, immune status, and growth gene expression in broilers under heat stress

The effects of feeding different postbiotics on growth performance, carcass yield, intestinal morphology, gut microbiota, immune status, and growth hormone receptor (GHR) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) gene expression in broilers under heat stress were assessed in this study. A total of 252 one-day-old male broiler chicks (Cobb 500) were randomly assigned in cages in identical environmentally controlled chambers. During the starter period from 1 to 21 days, all the birds were fed the same basal diet. On day 22, the birds were weighed and randomly divided into six treatment groups and exposed to cyclic high temperature at 36 ± 1 °C for 3 h per day from 11:00 to 14:00 until the end of the experiment. From day 22 to 42 (finisher period), an equal number of birds were subjected to one of the following diets: NC (negative control) basal diet; PC (positive control) basal diet + 0.02% oxytetracycline; or AA (ascorbic acid) basal diet + 0.02% ascorbic acid. The other three groups (RI11, RS5 and UL4) were basal diet + 0.3% different postbiotics (produced from different Lactobacillus plantarum strains, and defined as RI11, RS5 and UL4, respectively). The results demonstrated that birds fed RI11 diets had significantly higher final body weight, total weight gain and average daily gain than the birds that received the NC, PC and AA treatments. The feed conversion ratio was significantly higher in the RI11 group compared with the other groups. Carcass parameters were not affected by the postbiotic-supplemented diet. Postbiotic supplementation improved villi height significantly in the duodenum, jejunum and ileum compared to the NC, PC and AA treatments. The crypt depth of the duodenum and ileum was significantly higher in NC group compared to other treatment groups except RI11 in duodenum, and UL4 in ileum was not different with NC groups. The villus height to crypt depth ratio of duodenum and ileum was significantly higher for the postbiotic treatment groups and AA than the PC and NC treatment groups. The postbiotic RI11 group recorded significantly higher caecum total bacteria and Lactobacillus count and lower Salmonella count compared to the NC and PC treatment groups. The Bifidobacterium population in the NC group was significantly lower compared to the other treatment groups. The postbiotic (RI11, RS5 and UL4) and AA treatment groups showed lower Enterobacteriaceae and E. coli counts and caecal pH than the NC and PC treatment groups. The plasma immunoglobulin M (IgM) level was significantly higher in the birds receiving postbiotic RI11 than those receiving other treatments. The plasma immunoglobulin G (IgG) level was higher in the RI11 treatment group than in the NC, AA and RS5 groups. The plasma immunoglobulin A (IgA) level was not affected by postbiotic supplements. The hepatic GHR mRNA expression level was significantly increased in birds fed postbiotics RI11, RS5 and UL4, AA and PC compared to the NC-fed birds. Postbiotic RI11 led to significantly higher hepatic IGF-1 mRNA expression level compared to the NC, PC, and AA treatments. Mortality was numerically lesser in the postbiotic treatment groups, but not significantly different among all the treatments. In conclusion, among the postbiotics applied in the current study as compared with NC, PC and AA, RI11 could be used as a potential alternative antibiotic growth promoter and anti-stress treatment in the poultry industry