Simple Summary: The stress and anti-nutrient effect caused by environmental problems and animal feed is an urgent problem in poultry production. As ancient probiotics, Aspergillus oryzae and Saccharomyces cerevisiae can effectively improve the immunity of animals. Furthermore, the anti-nutrient object, phytate, reduces nutrition absorption. Therefore, S. cerevisiae or A. oryzae with phytase co-fermentation may help solve these problems. Results show that the addition of a fermentation product can effectively reduce the inflammatory response and drop the number of harmful bacteria in the ileum of broilers. Among them, A. oryzae fermentation product has a better effect than S. cerevisiae fermentation product.Abstract: Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Aspergillus oryzae are both ancient probiotic species traditionally used as microbes for brewing beer and soy sauce, respectively. This study investigated the effect of adding these two probiotics with phytase fermentation products to the broilers diet. Fermented products possess protease and cellulase, and the activities were 777.1 and 189.5 U/g dry matter (DM) on S. cerevisiae fermented products (SCFP) and 190 and 213.4 U/g DM on A. oryzae fermented products (AOFP), respectively. Liposaccharides stimulated PBMCs to produce nitric oxide to 120 µmol. Both SCFP and AOFP reduced lipopolysaccharides stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) nitric oxide release to 40 and 60 µmol, respectively. Nevertheless, in an MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay, SCFP and AOFP also increased the survival rate of lipopolysaccharides stimulated PBMCs by almost two-fold compared to the negative control. A total of 240 broilers were divided into four groups as Control, SCFP 0.1% (SCFP), SCFP 0.05% + AOFP 0.05% (SAFP), and AOFP 0.1% (AOFP) groups, respectively. Each group had 20 broilers, and three replicate pens. The results showed that the addition of SCFP, SAFP, and AOFP groups did not affect the growth performances, but increased the jejunum value of villus height and villus: crypt ratio on SAFP and AOFP groups compared to the control and SCFP groups. Furthermore, adding SCFP, SAFP, and AOFP significantly reduced the number of Clostridium perfringens in ileum chyme. SCFP, SAFP, and AOFP significantly reduced the amount of interleukin-1β, inducible nitric oxide synthases, interferon-γ, and nuclear factor kappa B mRNA expression in PBMCs, especially in the AOFP group. In summary, all the SCFP, SAFP, and AOFP groups can be suggested as a functional feed additive since they enhanced villus: crypt ratio and decreased inflammation-related mRNA expression, especially for AOFP group in broilers.

Environmental stressors like pathogens and toxins may depress the animal immune system through invasion of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) tract, where they may impair performance and production, as well as lead to increased mortality rates. Therefore, protection of the GIT tract and improving animal health are top priorities in animal production. Being natural-sourced materials, phytochemicals are potential feed additives possessing multiple functions, including: anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, anti-viral and antioxidative properties. This paper focuses on immunity-related physiological parameters regulated by phytochemicals, such as carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde, curcumin, and thymol; many studies have proven that these phytochemicals can improve animal performance and production. On the molecular level, the impact of inflammatory gene expression on underlying mechanisms was also examined, as were the effects of environmental stimuli and phytochemicals in initiating nuclear factor kappa B and mitogen-activated protein kinases signaling pathways and improving health conditions.

Pleurotus eryngii stalk residue (PESR) is a byproduct of the edible portion of the fruiting body. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of PESR on the oxidative status and meat quality of broilers. Two hundred fifty 1-d-old male broilers (Arbor Acre) were evenly divided by gender and randomly allocated into control (corn-soybean meal diet) or 1.0, 5.0, 10.0, or 20.0 g/kg dried PESR groups. The results revealed that at 35 d, the dried PESR groups displayed a significantly increased water-holding capacity and decreased storage loss of breast and thigh fillets when compared to the control group. Regarding fillets color, the L* (lightness) values were lower and the a* (redness) and b* (yellowness) values were higher following dried PESR supplementation. In 5.0-20.0 g/kg PESR supplementation groups, the activities of antioxidative enzymes were significantly elevated in serum, liver, spleen, and fillet tissues when compared to control group. Additionally, malondialdehyde production was slightly decreased in the PESR supplementation groups. Lower crude fat contents were observed in fillet tissues of 5.0-20.0 g/kg PESR groups when compared with the control group. In conclusion, PESR may potentially be used as an antioxidant to decrease lipid peroxidation and improve meat quality in broilers.

Simple Summary: Mushroom waste compost is the main byproduct when cultivating mushrooms. Due to its high mycelium content, mushroom waste compost may improve animal health by increasing antioxidant capacity. Furthermore, increasing evidence suggests that supplementing animal diets with fiber could improve body composition and health. The results showed that supplementation with mushroom waste compost accelerates adipolysis and enhances the antioxidant capacity of broilers. Among all treatment groups, broilers given dietary supplementation with 0.5% mushroom waste compost showed improved feed conversion rate and the highest adipose metabolism.Abstract: Pennisetum purpureum Schum No. 2 waste mushroom compost (PWMC) is the main byproduct when cultivating Pleurotus eryngii. Due to the high mycelium levels in PWMC, it may have potential as a feed supplement for broilers. This study investigated the effects of PWMC supplementation on antioxidant capacity and adipose metabolism in broilers. In the study, 240 broilers were randomly allocated to one of four treatment groups: basal diet (control), 0.5%, 1%, or 2% PWMC supplementation. Each treatment group had 60 broilers, divided into three replicates. The results showed that supplementation with 0.5% PWMC decreased the feed conversion rate (FCR) from 1.36 to 1.28, compared to the control. Supplementation with 0.5% or 2% PWMC decreased glucose and triglyceride levels, compared to the control (p < 0.0001), the concentrations of adiponectin and oxytocin increased from 5948 to 5709, 11820, and 7938 ng/ mL; and 259 to 447, 873, and 963 pg/ mL, respectively. Toll-like receptor 4 was slightly increased in the 0.5% and 1% PWMC groups. Both interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) were significantly decreased, by about three to five times for IFN-γ (p < 0.0001) and 1.1 to 1.6 times for IL-1ß (p = 0.0002). All antioxidant-related mRNA, including nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf-2) and superoxidase dismutase-1 (SOD-1), increased significantly following PWMC supplementation. Both claudin-1 and zonula occludens 1 increased, especially in the 2% PWMC group. Excitatory amino acid transporter 3 (EAAT3) significantly increased by about 5, 12, and 11 times in the 0.5%, 1%, and 2% PWMC groups. All adipolysis-related mRNA were induced in the PWMC treatment groups, further enhancing adipolysis. Overall, 0.5% PWMC supplementation was recommended due to its improving FCR, similar antioxidant capacity, and upregulated adipolysis.

This experiment investigated the effects of wheat bran fermented with Trichoderma pseudokoningii (FWB) on growth performance, intestinal morphology and the incidence of non-specific pathological lesions in broilers. In vitro experimental results showed that cellulase and xylananse activity of fermented wheat bran reached its peak at day 4 and solid-state fermentation (SSF) enhanced the reducing sugar content. In addition, the possibility of Trichoderma adhering to the broiler's crop epitheliums was also discovered. A total of 180 day-old Ross 308 male broilers were randomly distributed into one of the three dietary groups until 35 d of age: basal diet (control), 10% of basal diet replaced with wheat bran (10% WB) or 10% of diet replaced with fermented wheat bran (10% FWB). Results showed that 10% FWB group had lower feed consumption than the others, but improved feed conversion ratio (FCR) for starter phase (1 to 21 d) when compared to the control group. Furthermore, 10% FWB group had significantly increased villus height and villus height/crypt depth ratio in the ileum compared to the control group. Coliform bacteria count in the ileum was lower in the 10% WB group than the control, however, there were no differences between the 10% WB and 10% FWB treatment groups in the C. perfringens count. There were no morphological changes or incidences of non-specific pathological lesions in the 10% FWB group. These results suggested that replacing 10% of a basal diet with fermented wheat bran could not only improve growth performance but also provide optimal intestinal morphology in broilers.

Objective: This study assessed the effects of probiotics on cecal microbiota, gene expression of intestinal tight junction proteins, and immune response in the cecal tonsil of broiler chickens challenged with Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica. Methods: One-day-old broiler chickens (n = 240) were randomly allocated to four treatments: negative control (Cont), multi-strain probiotic-treated group (Pro), Salmonella-infected group (Sal), and multi-strain probiotic-treated and Salmonella-infected group (ProSal). All chickens except those in the Cont and Pro groups were gavaged with 1×10 8 cfu/mL of S. enterica subsp. enterica 4 days after hatching. Results: Our results indicated that body weight, weight gain, and feed conversion ratio of birds were significantly reduced (p<0.05) by Salmonella challenge. Chickens challenged with Salmonella decreased cecal microbial diversity. Chickens in the Sal group exhibited abundant Proteobacteria than those in the Cont, Pro, and ProSal groups. Salmonella infection downregulated gene expression of Occludin, zonula occludens-1 (ZO1), and Mucin 2 in the jejunum and Occludin and Claudin in the ileum. Moreover, the Sal group increased gene expression of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-1β, and lipopolysaccharide-induced tumor necrosis factor-alpha factor (LITAF) and reduced levels of transforming growth factor-β4 and IL-10 compared with the other groups (p<0.05). However, chickens receiving probiotic diets increased Lactobacillaceae abundance and reduced Enterobacteriaceae abundance in the ceca. Moreover, supplementation with probiotics increased the mRNA expression of Occludin, ZO1, and Mucin 2 in the ileum (p<0.05). In addition, probiotic supplementation downregulated the mRNA levels of IFN-γ (p<0.05) and LITAF (p = 0.075) and upregulated IL-10 (p = 0.084) expression in the cecal tonsil. Conclusion: The administration of multi-strain probiotics modulated intestinal microbiota, gene expression of tight junction proteins, and immunomodulatory activity in broiler chickens.

Dried EP can be used as a feed additive to improve the meat quality and oxidative status in Arbor Acres broilers.

This study assessed the effect of probiotics on cecal microbiota, cecal short‐chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and the gene expression of cytokines in young specific‐pathogen‐free (SPF) chickens infected with S. enterica subsp. enterica. One‐day‐old SPF chickens (n = 105) were randomly assigned to one of the three treatment groups: control (Cont) group, Salmonella‐infected (Sal) group, and a Salmonella‐infected group treated with multi‐strain probiotics (ProSal group). All chickens except those in the Cont group were challenged orally with 1 × 108 cfu/ml of Salmonella 4 days after hatching. Chickens in the Sal group exhibited more abundance of Proteobacteria than those in the Cont and ProSal groups. At the genus level, chickens in ProSal group exhibited increased numbers of Lactobacillus and Oscillospira compared with those in the other groups. Chickens in the ProSal group exhibited a significant increase of cecal SCFAs compared with chickens in the Sal group. Chickens in the ProSal group exhibited increased gene expression of anti‐inflammatory cytokines, IL‐10 and TGF‐β4, and decreased expression of the proinflammatory cytokine, IFN‐γ, in the cecal tonsil compared with those in the Sal group. The results of this study indicated that the administration of probiotics can modulate microbiota, SCFAs, and immunomodulatory activity in SPF chickens.