Dietary Supplementation with Sugar Beet Fructooligosaccharides and Garlic Residues Promotes Growth of Beneficial Bacteria and Increases Weight Gain in Neonatal Lambs

Abstract

The proper development of the early gastrointestinal tract (GIT) microbiota is critical for newborn ruminants. This microbiota is susceptible to modification by diverse external factors (such as diet) that can lead to long-lasting results when occurring in young ruminants. Dietary supplementation with prebiotics, ingredients nondigestible and nonabsorbable by the host that stimulate the growth of beneficial GIT bacteria, has been applied worldwide as a potential approach in order to improve ruminant health and production yields. However, how prebiotics affect the GIT microbiota during ruminants’ early life is still poorly understood. We investigated the effect of milk supplementation with a combination of two well-known prebiotics, fructooligosaccharides (FOS) from sugar beet and garlic residues (all together named as “additive”), exerted on preweaned lamb growth and the composition of their fecal microbiota, by using 16S rRNA gene amplicon high-throughput sequencing. The results showed a significant increase in the mean daily weight gain of lambs fed with the additive. Lamb fecal microbiota was also influenced by the additive intake, as additive-diet lambs showed lower bacterial diversity and were significantly more abundant in Bifidobacterium, Enterococcus, Lactobacillus and Veillonella. These bacteria have been previously reported to confer beneficial properties to the ruminant, including promotion of growth and health status, and our results showed that they were strongly linked to the additive intake and the increased weight gain of lambs. This study points out the combination of FOS from sugar beet and garlic residues as a potential prebiotic to be used in young ruminants’ nutrition in order to improve production yields.

Cooperative interactions between Veillonella ratti and Lactobacillus acidophilus ameliorate DSS-induced ulcerative colitis in mice

“…2,14 Several studies have explored the physiological functions of Veillonella in maintaining the dynamic balance between lactic acid and SCFAs and its relevance to host health and disease. 15,16 A few studies have observed lactic acid accumulation in the medium when Veillonella strains are co-cultured with Enterococcus faecium 17 or found that the medium cultured with Lactobacillus and Veillonella isolated from chicken cecum inhibits pathogenic intestinal bacteria. 18…”

“…2,14 Several studies have explored the physiological functions of Veillonella in maintaining the dynamic balance between lactic acid and SCFAs and its relevance to host health and disease. 15,16 A few studies have observed lactic acid accumulation in the medium when Veillonella strains are cocultured with Enterococcus faecium 17 or found that the medium cultured with Lactobacillus and Veillonella isolated from chicken cecum inhibits pathogenic intestinal bacteria. 18 One of the crucial functions of Veillonella is the fermentation of organic acids to produce SCFAs; while some Veillonella strains cannot ferment carbohydrates such as glucose and lactose, they can ferment organic acids such as pyruvate and lactic acid into acetic acid and propionic acid.…”

Effect of Red Orange and Lemon Extract-Enriched Diet in Suckling Lambs’ Fecal Microbiota

“…Interestingly, the decrease in Enterobacter and the increase in Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus were observed in the anthocyanin group. In fact, both Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus are well-known beneficial microbiota [52], also representing spread probiotic matrices sold on the market [53]. Bifidobacterium has been reported to stimulate the early development of gut regulating its microbial homeostasis, inhibiting pathogens and modulating local and systemic immune responses, improving vitamins production and increasing the bioconversion of dietary components to active compounds [54].…”

Microbiome Research as an Effective Driver of Success Stories in Agrifood Systems – A Selection of Case Studies

“…Animal microbiome research often focuses on the microbial populations that inhabit the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of animals, in order to determine their role in the animal’s growth, health and disease ( Maynard et al, 2012 ; Van Borm et al, 2015 ; Bahrndorff et al, 2016 ; Celi et al, 2017 ; Peixoto et al, 2021 ). Functional insights into the animal’s GIT microbiome will lead to advances in animal disease prevention and nutrition through the targeted administration of probiotics, prebiotics, feed additives and customized diets ( de Lange et al, 2010 ; Kiarie et al, 2013 ; Dawood et al, 2018 ; Quijada et al, 2020a ). Effective functionality of the GIT and its health are important factors in determining animal performance (e.g., body weight gain and milk, meat, and egg production and quality; Celi et al, 2017 ).…”