BackgroundPostbiotics (metabolic products by lactic acid bacteria) and prebiotics have been established as substitute to antibiotics in order to enhance immunity and growth performance in broiler chickens. Nonetheless, insufficient information is available on the effects of postbiotics and prebiotics combination on growth performance, faecal microbiota, pH and volatile fatty acids (VFA), as well as liver insulin like growth factor 1 (IGF1) and growth hormone receptor (GHR) mRNA expressions in broiler chickens. The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of different types of postbiotics with different levels of prebiotic (inulin) on broiler for those parameters.ResultsThe results showed that birds fed T3: (0.3 % RI11 + 0.8 % Inulin), T4: (0.3 % RI11 + 1.0 % Inulin), and T6: (0.3 % RG14+ 1.0 % Inulin) had higher (p < 0.05) final body weight (BW) and total weight gain (WG) than other treatments. Birds fed T3 had lower feed conversion ratio (FCR) which was significantly different from those fed with negative control diet but was similar to other treatments. Postbiotic and inulin increased (p < 0.05) faecal lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and reduced (p < 0.05) Enterobacteriaceae count. Birds fed T4 and T6 had higher faecal acetic acid and propionic acid respectively, and both had higher total VFA and lactic acid bacteria but lower pH and Enterobacteriaceae (ENT) counts compared to other treatments. The liver of birds fed T4 and T6 had higher IGF1 expression compared to other treatments while T6 had higher GHR mRNA expression compared to other treatments.ConclusionsResults indicate that the addition of postbiotics and inulin combinations had beneficial effects on total BW, feed efficiency, mucosa architecture and IGF1 and GHR mRNA expression in broiler chickens.

-This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) as a source of protein in layer diets on product performance, egg quality, hatchability, fertility, and sensory characteristics of eggs. The BSFL contained a high percentage of protein (559.9 g kg −1 ), metabolizable energy (696.3 kcal kg −1 ), crude fat (18.6 g kg −1 ), and dry matter (178 g kg −1 ) and a good balance of amino acids. A total of 54 Arabic strain hens at nine months of age were mixed with nine cocks at 12 months old; all were divided into three treatments. The diets were formulated based on three levels of energy-toprotein ratio: 155, 140, and 170. The BSFL meal was added at 0, 50, and 10 g kg −1 respectively. The results showed that feed intake, weight gain, Haugh unit, and hatchability were not affected by dietary treatments with BSFL. However, there was significant improvement in hen day egg production and hen house egg production due to dietary treatments of BSFL. Also, feed conversion ratio, egg weight, shell thickness, shell weight, egg yolk color, fertility, and egg mass were affected by dietary treatments. In addition, a significant improvement was observed in appearance, texture, taste, and acceptance of eggs of hens fed BSFL at 50 g kg −1 . The odor was not affected by dietary treatments. Black soldier fly larvae can be a good source of protein in layer diets.Key Words: black soldier fly larvae, energy to protein ratio, laying hen Revista Brasileira de Zootecnia

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of three feeds containing 6% oils: palm oil (PO), soybean oil (SO) and linseed oil (LO); and three calcium levels (NRC recommendation, 1.25% and 1.50%) on the fatty acid profile, lipid oxidation and cholesterol concentrations of broiler breast meat in a 3 × 3 factorial experiment. A total of 378 one-day-old chicks were randomly assigned to the diets and fed for six weeks. Birds fed diet supplemented with LO, SO and PO had higher proportions of α-linolenic, linoleic and oleic acids, respectively. The LO diet increased the total n-3 fatty acids and decreased the n-6 : n-3 compared with the PO and SO diets. Birds fed the PO diet had higher oxidative stability and cholesterol compared with those fed the SO and LO diets. However, the level of cholesterol in all treatments was within the normal range. The level of calcium and interaction between source of oil and calcium level did not influence lipid oxidation, fatty acid profile and cholesterol level of broiler breast muscle. It can be concluded that dietary LO and SO enhanced n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, respectively, while dietary PO enhanced the oleic acid and oxidative stability of broiler breast muscle. Thus, this study showed that PO can be used as an alternative oil source in broiler diets with a positive effect on the oxidative stability of chicken meat refrigerated at seven days when compared with vegetable oils that are rich in linoleic and α-linolenic acid.

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This study examined the effects of different combinations of inulin and postbiotics RG14 on growth performance, cecal microbiota, volatile fatty acids (VFA), and ileal cytokine expression in broiler chickens. Two-hundred-and sixteen, one-day-old chicks were allocated into 6 treatment groups, namely, a basal diet (negative control, NC), basal diet + neomycin and oxytetracycline (positive control, PC), T1 = basal diet + 0.15% postbiotic RG14 + 1.0% inulin, T2 = basal diet + 0.3% postbiotic RG14 + 1.0% inulin, T3 = basal diet + 0.45% postbiotic RG14 + 1.0% inulin, and T4 = basal diet + 0.6% postbiotic RG14 + 1.0% inulin, and fed for 6 weeks. The results showed that birds fed T1 and T3 diets had higher (P < 0.05) final body weight and total weight gain than NC and PC birds. A lower (P < 0.05) feed conversion ratio was observed in birds fed T1 and T2 compared with those fed the NC diet. Birds fed PC, T1, T2, and T3 had higher (P < 0.05) cecum total bacteria and Bifidobacteria compared to the NC birds. Diet had no effect on cecum Lactobacilli, Enterococcus and Salmonella. The NC birds had higher (P < 0.05) Enterobacteria and E. coli than other treatments. Concentration of acetic acid was higher in birds fed PC, T1, and T4 compared to the NC birds. However, the concentration of butyric acid, propionic acid, and total VFA did not differ (P > 0.05) among diets. The NC birds had higher (P < 0.05) expression of interferon (IFN) and Lipopolysaccharide-induced tumor necrosis factor-alpha factor (LITAF) gene compared with those fed other diets. The mRNA expression of interluken-6 (IL-6) was up-regulated in birds fed T3 and T4 compared to the NC birds. However, the expression of interluken-8 (IL-8) gene was not influenced by diet. Postbiotic and inulin combinations are potential replacements for antibiotic growth promoters in the poultry industry.

The study investigated the effects of varying dietary calcium (Ca) level and oil sources on the growth performance and carcass quality of broiler chickens. A total of 378, 1-day-old birds (Cobb 500) were fed either 6% palm oil, soybean oil (SO) or linseed oil (LO) in combination with three dietary levels of calcium (1.00%, 1.25% and 1.50%) for 6 weeks. Birds fed SO had higher body weight (BW) compared with those fed LO (p < .05). However, feed efficiency, carcass and bone quality were similar among the oil treatments. Regardless of the oil source, chicken fed diets containing 1.50% of Ca had lower BW compared with those fed 1.00% and 1.25% of Ca. In contrast, birds fed 1.25% of Ca had significantly higher (p < .05) bone quality than those fed 1% of Ca. It can be concluded that increasing the level of calcium up to 1.25% improved bone quality regardless of the type of oil.ARTICLE HISTORY

The present study assessed the effect of feeding palm oil (PO), sunflower oil (SO) and their combination on performance, fat deposition, fatty acid composition and lipogenic gene expression of broilers reared for 42 days. A total of 144 1-day-old broilers (Cobb500) were randomly allotted into four treatment diets with each having six replicates of six chicks in each replicate following a completely randomized design. Live weight gain and feed efficiency was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in birds fed with a combination of oil sources compared to controls. Birds fed with the combination of oil and SO alone had higher carcass yield and lower abdominal fat. Higher (P < 0.05) concentrations of unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) and lower concentrations of palmitic acid and saturated fatty acid (SFA) was found in birds fed SO alone and combinations of SO and PO. Furthermore, the outcomes showed that birds fed diet supplemented with SO and the combination of SO and PO down-regulated gene expression of key hepatic lipogenic enzymes of fatty acids synthase (FAS), acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD). These findings suggest that the diet containing the combination of 2% PO and 4% SO may reduce hepatic lipogenesis, as well as lower abdominal fat content of broilers.

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