Feeding broilers with dry whey powder and whey protein concentrate affected productive performance, ileal digestibility of nutrients and cecal microbiota community

Abstract

Dietary interventions are a common practice in the poultry industry to promote optimal performance and health of animals. Here, we aim at assessing the influence of supplementing broiler diets with dry whey powder (DWP) and whey protein concentrate (WPC) on nutrient coefficient of apparent ileal digestibility (CAID) and productive performance. Cecal microbiota composition was also determined using Illumina amplicon sequencing. Dietary treatments were control diet (no supplementation of DWP or WPC), 60-DWP (60 g/kg of DWP), and 80-WPC (80 g/kg of WPC). One-day-old male broilers were randomly assigned to one of three treatments, and housed in floor pens. In Trial 1, 90 1-day-old chicks were allocated to three pens/treatment, with 10 birds/pen, during 21 days for CAID evaluation. Diet 60-DWP increased Ca CAID (P=0.041), while diet 80-WPC improved Ca and P CAID (P<0.001 and 0.002, respectively) when compared with control diet. In Trial 2, 810 one-day-old chicks were allocated to nine pens/treatment, with 30 birds/pen, during 42 days. Feeding chickens with 60-DWP and 80-WPC increased their BW, average daily gain (ADG) and feed intake (FI) during the starter (P<0.001 for all variables) and grower-finisher periods (P<0.001 for BW and FI, and P=0.048 for ADG), and during the entire feeding period (P<0.05), when compared with control diet. Diets 60-DWP and 80-WPC reduced the feed conversion ratio of chickens during the starter period (P<0.001 and 0.003, respectively), while 60-DWP reduced this parameter during the entire feeding period (P=0.048), when compared to control diet. At day 42, cecal microbial communities of chickens that were fed with 60-DWP and 80-WPC differed from those fed with control diet (R=0.776, P=0.008; and R=0.740, P=0.008, respectively). The abundance of Bacteroides fragilis, Bacteroides spp., Escherichia coli/Shigella flexneri and Megamonas furniformis increased when 60-DWP and 80-WPC diets were offered, while the presence of Helicobacter pullorum decreased. Lactobacillus salivarius consistently increased in chickens with better feed conversion ratio, which were those fed with 60-DWP. The results obtained in the present study indicate that growth of chickens is improved by DWP and WPC supplementation because of a higher mineral digestibility, increased feed intake and modulation of cecal microbiota communities.

Effect of dietary supplementation of whey powder and Bacillus subtilis on growth performance, gut and hepatic function, and muscle antioxidant capacity of Japanese quail

“…An improvement in bird's performance in the WP group may also be explained by highly digestible protein and fat and the presence of water‐soluble vitamins in WP (Kermanshahi & Rostami, ). Similarly, Pineda‐Quiroga et al () showed that the addition of WP to broiler diets increased average daily gain and body weight during the starter, grower, and the entire feeding periods compared to the CON. Ocejo et al () also reported that single or combined supplementation of WP and calcium butyrate improved growth performance, feed efficiency, and intestinal integrity of broiler chickens.…”

“…In agreement with our findings, Alloui and Szczurek () found that the inclusion of whey lactose in broiler diets increased the concentration of LAB and volatile fatty acids, and reduced coliform bacteria and pH in the caecal contents. Pineda‐Quiroga et al () also reported a positive correlation between whey lactose and relative abundance of butyrate‐producing bacteria in ceca, which modulates gut microbiota. Whey lactose acts in a similar way as oligosaccharides do.…”

“…Whey powder (WP) is a by‐product of dairy industry that consists of high‐quality protein and remarkable amounts of lactose, which is nearly 70% on dry matter basis (Ocejo, Oporto, Juste, & Hurtado, ; Pineda‐Quiroga et al, ). Lactose is not digestible in the small intestine of poultry.…”

“…Lactose is not digestible in the small intestine of poultry. Instead, it is passed down to lower bowl where it will be fermented by beneficial bacteria and produce short‐chain fatty acids (SCFAs) such as butyrate, propionate, and acetate (Pineda‐Quiroga et al, ; Torres‐Rodriguez et al, ). An increase in the concentration of SCFAs is often associated with an increase in the population of useful bacteria and a decrease in pathogenic microorganisms, which can lead to the stabilization of microbial eubiosis in the gastrointestinal tract (Shabani, Jazi, Ashayerizadeh & Barekatain, ).…”

“…Based on these properties, WP can be considered as a feed additive with prebiotic‐like effects in poultry feed. Previous studies have shown that the inclusion of WP in broiler diets may enhance growth performance and improve the growth of the intestinal mucosa layer and caecal microflora community (Alloui & Szczurek, ; Ocejo et al, ; Pineda‐Quiroga et al, ). However, there is still limited information on the influence of WP in poultry.…”