Optimization of processing conditions for solid-state fermented soybean meal and its effects on growth performance and nutrient digestibility of weanling pigs

Mixed Bacillus subtilis and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum-fermented feed improves gut microbiota and immunity of Bamei piglet

Antibiotics are widely used in the breeding production of Bamei pigs, affecting the quality and safety of pork and causing enormous harm to human health, the environment, and public health. The use of probiotic fermented feed to replace antibiotic feed is one of the solutions, which has the potential to improve the intestinal microbiota, promote animal growth, and enhance immunity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of fermented feed with Lactiplantibacillus (L.) plantarum QP28-1a or Bacillus (B.) subtilis QB8a on feed, growth performance, gut microbiota, and immunity of weaned piglets. A total of 60 freshly weaned piglets from the Tibetan Plateau were randomly divided into five groups and fed basal feed, L. plantarum fermented feed, B. subtilis fermented feed, mixed fermented feed, and antibiotic fermented feed for 60 days, respectively. The results showed fermented feed supplemented with L. plantarum QP28-1a or B. subtilis QB8a significantly lowered the pH of the feed (P < 0.05), produced lactic acid and acetic acid, inhibited the growth of harmful bacteria in the feed, and reduced the feed conversion rate in the group fed mixed fermented feed (P < 0.05). The fermented feed increased the α-diversity and prominently altered the β-diversity of the intestinal microbiota, increasing the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Turicibacter and decreasing the relative abundance of conditional pathogens such as Streptococcus and Clostridium, improving the intestinal microbiota of the Bamei piglets. Notably, the mixed fermented feed improved the immunity of Bamei piglets by modulating the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, anti-inflammatory cytokines, and inflammatory-related signaling pathways. Spearman's correlation analysis revealed that the increased expression of immune-related cytokines may be associated with a significant enrichment of Lactobacillus, Prevotellaceae, Erysipelotrichaceae, and Ruminococcaceae in the gut. In conclusion, the probiotic fermented feed maintained an acidic environment conducive to suppressing pathogens, reduced the feed conversion ratio, optimized the intestinal microbiota, improved immunity, and alleviated intestinal inflammation that may be caused by weaning, demonstrating the excellent application prospects of L. plantarum QP28-1a and B. subtilis QB8a fermented feed in the feeding of Bamei piglets.

Dietary nutrition, intestinal microbiota dysbiosis and post-weaning diarrhea in piglets

Weaning is a critical transitional point in the life cycle of piglets. Early weaning can lead to post-weaning syndrome, destroy the intestinal barrier function and microbiota homeostasis, cause diarrhea and threaten the health of piglets. The nutritional components of milk and solid foods consumed by newborn animals can affect the diversity and structure of their intestinal microbiota, and regulate post-weaning diarrhea in piglets. Therefore, this paper reviews the effects and mechanisms of different nutrients, including protein, dietary fiber, dietary fatty acids and dietary electrolyte balance, on diarrhea and health of piglets by regulating intestinal function. Protein is an essential nutrient for the growth of piglets; however, excessive intake will cause many harmful effects, such as allergic reactions, intestinal barrier dysfunction and pathogenic growth, eventually aggravating piglet diarrhea. Dietary fiber is a nutrient that alleviates post-weaning diarrhea in piglets, which is related to its promotion of intestinal epithelial integrity, microbial homeostasis and the production of short-chain fatty acids. In addition, dietary fatty acids and dietary electrolyte balance can also facilitate the growth, function and health of piglets by regulating intestinal epithelial function, immune system and microbiota. Thus, a targeted control of dietary components to promote the establishment of a healthy bacterial community is a significant method for preventing nutritional diarrhea in weaned piglets.

Opportunities and Challenges of Soy Proteins with Different Processing Applications

Soybean meal (SBM) is a prevailing plant protein supplement in animal diets because of its nutritional value and availability. This review paper explores the significance of SBM and processed soy products, emphasizing their nutritional and bioactive components, such as isoflavones and soyasaponins. These compounds are known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with a reduced prevalence of chronic diseases. However, the presence of antinutritional compounds in SBM presents a significant challenge. The paper evaluates various processing methods, including ethanol/acid wash, enzyme treatment, and fermentation, which are aimed at enhancing the nutritional value of soy products. It highlights the significance to maintain a balance between nutritional enhancement and the preservation of beneficial bioactive compounds, emphasizing the importance of different processing techniques to fully exploit the health benefits of soy-based products. Therefore, this review illuminates the complex balance between nutritional improvement, bioactive compound preservation, and the overall health implications of soy products.

Mechanism of action, benefits, and research gap in fermented soybean meal utilization as a high-quality protein source for livestock and poultry

Animal nutritionists have incessantly worked towards providing livestock with high-quality plant protein feed resources. Soybean meal (SBM) has been an essential and predominantly adopted vegetable protein source in livestock feeding for a long time; however, several SBM antinutrients could potentially impair the animal's performance and growth, limiting its use. Several processing methods have been employed to remove SBM antinutrients, including fermentation with fungal or bacterial microorganisms. According to the literature, fermentation, a traditional food processing method, could improve SBM's nutritional and functional properties, making it more suitable and beneficial to livestock. The current interest in health-promoting functional feed, which can enhance the growth of animals, improve their immune system, and promote physiological benefits more than conventional feed, coupled with the ban on the use of antimicrobial growth promoters, has caused a renewed interest in the use of fermented SBM (FSBM) in livestock diets. This review details the mechanism of SBM fermentation and its impacts on animal health and discusses the recent trend in the application and emerging advantages to livestock while shedding light on the research gap that needs to be critically addressed in future studies. FSBM appears to be a multifunctional high-quality plant protein source for animals. Besides removing soybean antinutrients, beneficial bioactive peptides and digestive enzymes are produced during fermentation, providing probiotics, antioxidants, and immunomodulatory effects. Critical aspects regarding FSBM feeding to animals remain uncharted, such as the duration of fermentation, the influence of feeding on digestive tissue development, choice of microbial strain, and possible environmental impact.

Aquafeed fermentation improves dietary nutritional quality and benefits feeding behavior, meat flavor, and intestinal microbiota of Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis)

Normally, proper fermentation can be an efficient and widely used method to improve feed quality in animal rearing; however, the studies on crustaceans, especially Eriocheir sinensis, remain limited. This study aimed to investigate whether feed fermentation could meliorate dietary nutritional value and benefit E. sinensis rearing. First, non-fermented feed (NFD) and fermented feed (FD) were produced and assessed, respectively. Then, the "Y" maze feed choice behavior test (180 times; 30 times, 6 rounds) was conducted to assess the attractiveness of these 2 feeds for crabs. Finally, a total of 80 crabs (44.10 ± 0.80 g) were randomly assigned into 2 groups with 4 replicates, and fed the experimental diets for 8 weeks to evaluate the effects of each feed on growth, antioxidant capacity, meat flavor, and intestinal microbiota. In this study, FD showed higher levels of crude protein (P < 0.01), soluble protein (P < 0.01), amino acids (P < 0.05), lactic acid (P < 0.001), and lower levels of crude fiber (P < 0.05) and antinutritional factors (agglutinin, trypsin inhibitor, glycinin, and β-conglycinin) (P < 0.001) than NFD. Additionally, FD was more attractive to crabs than NFD (P < 0.01) and it stimulated the appetite of crabs more than NFD (P < 0.05). The growth performance, feed efficiency, and digestive enzyme activity of FD-fed crabs were significantly higher than those of NFD-fed crabs (P < 0.05). The electronic sensory measurements and free amino acid profiles revealed that the FD diet had positive impacts on the meat flavor of crabs, particularly in "sweet" and "umami" tastes. Moreover, the antioxidant capacity of FD-fed crabs was significantly higher than that of NFD-fed crabs (P < 0.05). Fermented feed also affected the diversity and composition of intestinal microflora. The functional prediction of microbial communities showed that crabs fed FD had a better microecological environment in the intestine. In conclusion, the fermentation of aquafeed could be an effective approach to enhance feed quality and therefore benefit E. sinensis rearing.

Supplementation with Fermented Feedstuff Enhances Orexin Expression and Secretion Associated with Increased Feed Intake and Weight Gain in Weaned Pigs

The health status of weaned pigs is crucial for their subsequent growth performance. Supplementation with fermented feedstuff is able to improve the feed intake and growth of weaned pigs; however, the exact mechanism behind this is not clear. Hence, in the present study a total of 320 Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire weaned pigs were selected and allocated to the following two groups: unfermented diet group (UFD) and fermented diet group (FD). The experimental period lasted 21 days. At the end of the experiment, feces, blood, and gastrointestinal tissue samples (including the stomach, jejunum, and ileum) were collected and used for further analysis. The results of growth performance suggested that the FD group had significantly increased (p < 0.05) average daily feed intake (ADFI) and average daily gain (ADG) during the first week, during the last two weeks, and over the entire three-week period compared with the UFD group. The results of the apparent nutrient digestibility of pigs showed that, compared with the UFD group, the FD group showed increased phosphorus (p < 0.05) and CP (p < 0.1) digestibility. There were no significant differences in the serum biochemical parameters between the UFD and FD groups. Moreover, our results showed that the FD group showed significantly increased gene expression of SGLT1 and PepT1 in the jejunum (p < 0.05). Compared with the UFD group, the FD group showed an increased (p < 0.05) serum orexin level and prepro-orexin (PPOX) expression in the gastric fundus, jejunum, and ileum mucosa and increased IGF-1 and IGFR expression in the jejunum. Collectively, these results indicated that supplementation with fermented feedstuff in the diet effectively enhanced the feed intake and growth of weaned pigs and that this may have been caused by the increased orexin, IGF-1, and IGFR serum levels.

Advances in research on solid-state fermented feed and its utilization: The pioneer of private customization for intestinal microorganisms

With sustainable development of biotechnology, increasing attention has been placed on utilization of solid-state fermented feed (SFF). Solid-state fermented feed has been a candidate strategy to alleviate the contradiction between supply and demand of feed resources, ensure food hygiene safety, promoting energy conservation, and emission reduction. In production of SFF, a variety of organic acids, enzymes, vitamins, peptides, and other unknown growth factors are produced, which could affect performance of animals. Solid-state fermented feed produced by different fermentation techniques has great instability on different physiological stages of different animals, which hinders the application and standardized production of SFF. Herein, we summarize the current advances in the role of the characteristics of SFF prepared by different manufacturing technique and its research progress in animal experiments on growth performance, gastrointestinal ecology, and immune system, so as to provide references for further acquiring a relatively perfect set of SFF production and evaluation systems.

Anaerobic Solid-State Fermentation of Soybean Meal With Bacillus sp. to Improve Nutritional Quality

The study evaluated the impact of fermentation with Bacillus sp. on the nutritional quality of soybean meal (SBM) and the changes of bacterial community structure during fermentation. High protease-producing strains were screened to degrade SBM macromolecular protein and anti-nutritional factors (ANFs). Unsterilized SBM then underwent an anaerobic solid-state fermentation method to evaluate the effects of fermentation. Results showed that for the nine high-producing protease strains that were screened, acid-soluble protein (ASP) contents in fermented SBM increased, with the highest value found to be 13.48%, which was fermented using strain N-11. N-11 was identified as Bacillus subtilis. N-11 fermentation reduced ANFs such as glycinin and β-conglycinin by 82.38 and 88.32%, respectively. During N-11 fermentation, the bacterial richness and diversity in SBM increased but not significantly. The high-yield protease strain B. subtilis N-11 selected in this experiment improved the nutritional quality of SBM through fermentation, and it can be used for industrial large-scale production.

Impact of Bacillus in fermented soybean foods on human health

PURPOSE

Fermented soybean foods (FSF) is popularly consumed in the South-East Asian countries. Bacillus species, a predominant microorganism present in these foods, have demonstrated beneficial and deleterious impacts on human health. These microorganisms produce bioactive compounds during fermentation that have beneficial impacts in improving human health. However, the health risks associated with FSF, food pathogens, biogenic amines (BAs) production, and late-onset anaphylaxis, remain a concern. The purpose of this review is to present an in-depth analysis of positive and negative impacts as a result of consumption of FSF along with the measures to alleviate health risks for human consumption.

METHODS

This review was composed by scrutinizing contemporary literature of peer-reviewed publications related to Bacillus and FSF. Based on the results from academic journals, this review paper was categorized into FSF, role of Bacillus species in these foods, process of fermentation, beneficial, and adverse influence of these foods along with methods to improve food safety. Special emphasis was given to the potential benefits of bioactive compounds released during fermentation of soybean by Bacillus species.

RESULTS

The nutritional and functional properties of FSF are well-appreciated, due to the release of peptides and mucilage, which have shown health benefits: in managing cardiac disease, gastric disease, cancer, allergies, hepatic disease, obesity, immune disorders, and especially microbial infections due to the presence of probiotic property, which is a potential alternative to antibiotics. Efficient interventions were established to mitigate pitfalls like the techniques to reduce BAs and food pathogens and by using a defined starter culture to improve the safety and quality of these foods.

CONCLUSION

Despite some of the detrimental effects produced by these foods, potential health benefits have been observed. Therefore, soybean foods fermented by Bacillus can be a promising food by integrating effective measures for maintaining safety and quality for human consumption. Further, in vivo analysis on the activity and dietary interventions of bioactive compounds among animal models and human volunteers are yet to be achieved which is essential to commercialize them for safe consumption by humans, especially immunocompromised patients.

Effect of fermented corn-soybean meal on carcass and meat quality of grower-finisher pigs

The fermented feed has been identified as a potential alternative to antibiotics in feeds that markedly affects gut health and growth performance of pigs. Two recent studies performed in our laboratory investigated that the fermented corn-soybean meal (fermented feed, FF) improved the gut health of pigs. This study was conducted to determine the effect of a FF on the carcass, meat quality, muscle fatty acids profile, muscle amino acid and antioxidant ability of grower-finisher pigs. In this study, a total of 48 crossbred barrows (Duroc × Landrace × Large White) were randomly divided into 2 treatments with unfermented corn-soybean diet (Ctrl) and FF diet. Compared with control pigs fed a standard diet, the results showed that FF significantly increased the muscle colour of redness and significantly reduced muscle moisture loss rate. Furthermore, FF significantly increased the content of aromatic amino acids such as aspartic acid, glutamic acid and alanine. More importantly, FF increased monounsaturated fatty acid and polyunsaturated fatty acid content. Collectively, FF could be a promising feed strategy in improving meat quality and nutritional value in grower-finisher pig.

Fermented Diet Liquid Feeding Improves Growth Performance and Intestinal Function of Pigs

Simple Summary

The present study indicated that fermented liquid feeding improved the growth performance of pigs, which might be associated with gastrointestinal hormone and intestinal functions. These results provided a new perspective for improving the growth performance of pigs.

Abstract

Accumulating evidences demonstrate that fermented feed and liquid feeding exerted a great beneficial influence on growth performance and health in the pig industry. This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of fermented liquid feeding on the growth performance and intestinal function of pigs. Two hundred and eighty-eight 27-day-old weaned piglets (8.21 ± 0.27 kg) were randomly allocated to a control group (basal diet (CON)), an antibiotic group (basal diet supplemented with antibiotics (AB)) and a fermented liquid feeding group (basal diet with fermented liquid feeding (FLF)), with 6 replicates per treatment and 16 weaned piglets per replicate. The experiment lasted for 160 days. Fresh fecal samples were collected to evaluate the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of nutrients from the last 4 days of each stage. The results are shown as follows: (1) Compared with the CON group, in the whole stage, the FLF diet significantly increased the final body weight (BW) and ADG of pigs (P < 0.05), and had a tendency to increase ADFI (P = 0.086), but had no effect on F/G. (2) The ATTD of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), crude ash (CA), crude fiber (CF), gross energy (GE), calcium (Ca) and total phosphorus (TP) in the FLF group was significantly elevated compared with those of the CON group at 8–20 kg stage (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the ATTD of EE in the FLF group was significantly increased compared with that of the CON group at the 50–75 kg and 100–125 kg stages (P < 0.05), and the ATTD of Ca was higher than that of CON group at the 100–125 kg stage (P < 0.05). (3) Compared with that of the CON group, the level of serum leptin in the FLF group had a tendency to decrease (P = 0.054), the level of serum ghrelin in the FLF group was significantly elevated (P < 0.05) and the level of serum peptide YY in the FLF group was significantly decreased (P < 0.05). (4) The abundance of Lactobacillus in cecal and colonic digesta was observably enhanced in FLF group. Meanwhile, the abundance of Escherichia coli in cecal and colonic digesta were dramatically reduced in the FLF group compared with that in the CON and AB groups (P < 0.05). (5) The levels of acetic acid in colonic digesta were significantly increased in the FLF group (P < 0.05), and an increasing trend was observed in total VFA in colonic digesta compared with CON (P < 0.1). The levels of acetic acid in colonic digesta were significantly promoted in the FLF group compared with that of the AB group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, these results indicate that fermented liquid feeding improved the growth performance of pigs, which might be associated with gastrointestinal hormone and intestinal functions.

Effects of dietary supplementation with different fermented feeds on performance, nutrient digestibility, and serum biochemical indexes of fattening lambs

Objective

The effects of adding fermented feed to a pelleted total mixed ration (PTMR) on the growth performance of lambs remain unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the feed efficiency and productivity of lambs that were fed PTMR containing fermented soybean meal (FSM) or wheat bran (FWB).

Methods

Sixty 90-d-old hybrid lambs were randomly allocated into 12 pens (5 lambs/pen) that were randomly assigned to 4 dietary treatments (3 pens/treatment) with PTMR (basal diet), 2% FSM, or Lactobacillus- or yeast-FWB (L-FWB or Y-FWB) addition in the basal diet.

Results

The findings showed that lambs fed 2% FSM supplemented diet had enhanced (p<0.05) average daily gain (ADG) and carcass yield (p = 0.015), while they had a decreased (p = 0.006) feed conversion ratio compared to that of other three groups. Inclusion of FSM or FWB in PTMR improved (p<0.05) the nutrient digestibility, while it reduced the urea nitrogen content in serum compared to the PTMR group. Additionally, the decreased ratio of N excretion to ADG (p<0.01) was observed with FSM and L-FWB supplementation compared with the PTMR and Y-FWB groups.

Conclusion

In conclusion, feeding the fermented feed-supplemented diet improved nutrient digestibility and growth performance, and 2% FSM-supplemented diet exhibited superior production-promoting efficiency to lambs.

Phytogenic blend protective effects against microbes but affects health and production in broilers

The aim of this study was to determine whether addition of a phytogenic blend in the feed of broilers to replace conventional antimicrobials as a performance enhancer would improve or maintain productive efficiency. The phytogenic blend was based on curcuminoids, cinnamaldehyde and glycerol monolaurate. We used 480 birds divided into three groups with eight repetitions per group and 20 birds per repetition. The groups were identified as antimicrobial-treated: basal feed with antibiotics and coccidiostatic agents; phytogenic blend: basal feed with blend; and control, only basal feed. Zootechnical performance was measured on days from 1 to 42, with body weight measured at days 1, 7, 21 and 42. We collected excreta for parasitological analysis and total bacterial counts to determine if the phytogenic blend had kept the bacteria and coccidia in counts smaller or similar to that resulting from use of conventional performance enhancer. Other variables were also measured to complement our research, i.e., if the consumption of bend is good for the health of the birds (without causing toxicity and negatively altering the metabolism and intestinal morphometry) and does not interfere in the quality of the meat. Because the bacteria are often opportunistic, we challenged all birds at 23 days of age with high doses of oral oocysts (28,000 oocysts). Birds supplemented with the blend showed inferior performance compared to birds in the control and antimicrobial treated group (P < 0.05). We found a smaller number of oocysts of Eimeria spp. in the excreta at 42 days in the treatment with blend and antimicrobial treated group (P < 0.05). In terms of total bacterial counts, there were lower counts in the birds of the blend group than in the control group (P < 0.05). The blend increased the yellow intensity and the luminosity of the meat (P < 0.05), as well as cooking weight losses (P < 0.05) compared those of the control. We observed higher total levels of saturated fatty acids in meat from the blend and antimicrobial treated group (P < 0.05), as well as lower levels of monounsaturated fatty acids in the blend group (P < 0.05). The inclusion of a phytogenic blend to replace conventional antimicrobials and anticoccidial agents in the diet of chickens was able to control bacteria as well as coccidia; however, it ends up harming health and production.

Dietary fermented soybean meal replacement alleviates diarrhea in weaned piglets challenged with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli K88 by modulating inflammatory cytokine levels and cecal microbiota composition

BACKGROUND

Impaired gut microbiota leads to pathogenic bacteria infection, pro-inflammatory response and post-weaning diarrhea. Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) K88 is a major cause of post-weaning diarrhea in weaned piglets. Fermented soybean meal (FSBM) could relieve diarrhea, alleviate inflammatory response, and modulate gut microbiota of weaned piglets. We used ETEC K88-challenged weaned piglet model to investigate the effects of FSBM on the growth performance, inflammatory response and cecal microbiota. Twenty-four crossbred piglets (6.8 ± 0.5 kg; 21 ± 2 days of age) were allotted into 2 treatment fed the diets with or without FSBM (6% at the expense of soybean meal). Six weaned piglets in each diet treatment were challenged by ETEC K88 (1 × 109 CFU/piglets) on day 15. The experimental period lasted for 20 days.

RESULTS

The ETEC K88 challenge decreased (p < 0.05) fecal consistency and plasma interleukin-10 (IL-10) concentration, while increased (p < 0.05) average daily feed intake (ADFI) and plasma tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) concentrations. After ETEC K88 challenge, dietary FSBM replacement increased (p < 0.05) final body weight (BW), average daily gain (ADG), ADFI, and fecal consistency, but decreased feed conversion ratio (FCR). The plasma IL-10 concentration of weaned piglets fed FSBM was higher (p < 0.05), while IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α concentrations were lower (p < 0.05). Dietary FSBM replacement attenuated the increase of plasma TNF-α concentration and the decrease of ADG induced by ETEC K88 challenge (p < 0.05). High-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene V4 region of cecal microbiota revealed that ETEC K88 challenge increased (p < 0.05) Campylobacter relative abundance on genus level. Dietary FSBM replacement resulted in higher (p < 0.05) relative abundances of Bacteroidetes and Prevotellaceae_NK3B31_group, and lower (p < 0.05) relative abundances of Proteobacteria and Actinobacillus. Furthermore, dietary FSBM replacement relieved the increase of Escherichia-Shigella relative abundance in weaned piglets challenged by ETEC K88 (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Dietary FSBM replacement improved growth performance and alleviated the diarrhea of weaned piglets challenged with ETEC K88, which could be due to modulation of cecal microbiota composition and down-regulation of inflammatory cytokines production.

Screening of bacterial strains from the gut of Pacific White Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) and their efficiencies in improving the fermentation of soybean meal

Microbial fermentation is an efficient, economical and eco-friendly approach to overcome the limitations in soybean meal replacement of fish meal in aquaculture. However, little research focused on the development of shrimp-derived strains for fermentation of SBM. In this study, Bacillus sanfensis (SQVG18) and Bacillus stratosphericus (SQVG22) were screened from shrimp intestine for fermentation according to the activities of protease, cellulase and phytase. The optimized fermentation conditions of SQVG18 and SQVG22 were as follow: fermentation temperature (40°C vs 35°C), fermentation time (48h both), inoculation amount [4% both (v/m)], solid-liquid ratio [1:1.2 vs 1:1 (g/ml)]. After 48 h fermentation, SQVG18 and SQVG22 increased crude protein content by 6.93% and 5.95%, respectively; degraded most of macromolecular proteins to micromolecular proteins (< 20 kDa); improved amino acids profiles, like lysine and methionine in particular; significantly decreased the anti-nutritional factors such as trypsin inhibitor, glycinin and β-conglycinin (P < 0.05). In addition, both strains were observed no hemolytic activity, less antibiotic resistance genes and definite inhibition to common shrimp pathogens of Vibrio alginolyticus sp. and Vibrio parahaemolyticus sp. These results indicated that both strains could improve nutrition values of soybean meal effectively and have potential applications in shrimp culture.

Fermented feed regulates growth performance and the cecal microbiota community in geese

This study was designed to investigate the effects of fermented feed diets on the growth performance and cecal microbial community in geese, and to examine associations between the gut microbiota and growth performance. A total of 720 healthy, 1-day-old male SanHua geese were used for the 55-D experiment. Geese were randomly divided into 4 groups, each with 6 replicates of 30 geese. Groups were fed a basal diet supplemented with 0.0, 2.5, 5.0, or 7.5% fermented feed. The results showed that 7.5% fermented feed had an increasing trend in the body weight and average daily gain of the geese; however, there was no significant response to increasing dietary fermented feed level with regards to ADFI and FCR. In addition, compared with the control group, there was a higher abundance of bacteria in the phylum Bacteroidetes in the cecal samples of geese in the 7.5% fermented feed group (53.18% vs. 41.77%, P < 0.05), whereas the abundance of Firmicutes was lower in the 7.5% fermented feed group (36.30% vs. 44.13%, P > 0.05). At the genus level, the abundance of Bacteroides was increased by adding fermented feed to geese diets, whereas the abundances of Desulfovibrio, Phascolarctobacterium, Lachnospiraceae_uncultured, Ruminiclostridium, and Oscillospira were decreased. These results indicate that fermented feeds have an important effect on the cecal microflora composition of geese, and may affect host growth, nutritional status, and intestinal health.

Improved utilization of soybean meal through fermentation with commensal Shewanella sp. MR-7 in turbot (Scophthalmus maximus L.)

BACKGROUND

Increased inclusion of plant proteins in aquafeeds has become a common practice due to the high cost and limited supply of fish meal but generally leads to inferior growth performance and health problems of fish. Effective method is needed to improve the plant proteins utilization and eliminate their negative effects on fish. This study took a unique approach to improve the utilization of soybean meal (SBM) by fish through autochthonous plant-degrading microbe isolation and subsequent fermentation.

RESULTS

A strain of Shewanella sp. MR-7 was isolated and identified as the leading microbe that could utilize SBM in the intestine of turbot. It was further optimized for SBM fermentation and able to improve the protein availability and degrade multiple anti-nutritional factors of SBM. The fishmeal was able to be replaced up to 45% by Shewanella sp. MR-7 fermented SBM compared to only up to 30% by SBM in experimental diets without adverse effects on growth and feed utilization of turbot after feeding trials. Further analyses showed that Shewanella sp. MR-7 fermentation significantly counteracted the SBM-induced adverse effects by increasing digestive enzymes activities, suppressing inflammatory responses, and alleviating microbiota dysbiosis in the intestine of turbot.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated that plant protein utilization by fish could be significantly improved through pre-digestion with isolated plant-degrading host microbes. Further exploitation of autochthonous bacterial activities should be valuable for better performances of plant-based diets in aquaculture.

Synergistic effects of fermented soybean meal and mannan-oligosaccharide on growth performance, digestive functions, and hepatic gene expression in broiler chickens

This study investigated the effects of fermented soybean meal (FSBM) with or without mannan-oligosaccharide (MOS) prebiotic on growth performance, digestive functions, and hepatic IGF-1 gene expression of broiler chicken. A total of 480 day-old male broiler chickens were fed with 4 experimental diets for 6 wk. Experimental diets included corn-soybean meal diet (CON); corn-soybean meal diet + MOS prebiotic [0.2%, ActiveMOS; Biorigin, Brazile]; corn-FSBM diet [soybean meal (SBM) was totally replaced by FSBM]; and corn-FSBM + MOS prebiotic (MIX). Replacing dietary SBM with FSBM with or without MOS improved body weight gain and feed efficiency for the total grow-out period. However, the addition of MOS to the FSBM diet exhibited a greater body weight gain than other experimental diets. Villus height and villus height to crypt depth of the duodenum and jejunum were increased by feeding FSBM, MOS, and MIX diets. The ileal crude protein and energy digestibilities, as well as the activities of intestinal amylase and protease, and pancreatic protease, were improved by replacing SBM with FSBM, with or without MOS. The concentration of plasma 3-methylhistidine was reduced by FSBM and MOS, and synergistically by their combination. The MOS and FSBM diets upregulated the hepatic IGF-1 gene expression. However, there was an evident synergistic effect of FSBM supplemented with MOS in the upregulation of the hepatic IGF-1 gene expression. The outcomes of the current study indicate the FSBM and MOS had the potential to improve growth performance, hepatic IGF-1 expression, and intestinal morphology of broilers. Overall, the fermented products could be considered as functional feed that exhibits probiotic effects and the synergistic effects of prebiotics added to the fermented feeds may further improve the growth performance and gut health and functionality in broiler chicken.

Fermented soybean meal ameliorates Salmonella Typhimurium infection in young broiler chickens

The present study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of dietary fermented soybean meal (FSBM) in comparison with prebiotic (Xylooligosaccharide; XOS) and probiotic (Lactic acid bacteria-based probiotic; LAC) for prevention of Salmonella Typhimurium (ST) infection in young broiler chickens from 1 to 24 d. The in vitro study revealed that soybean meal (SBM) fermentation increased the number of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and lactic acid content and inhibited the growth of enterobacteria such as coliforms in SBM. A total of 450 day-old Ross 308 broiler chicks were placed in 30 pens (15 birds/pen) and allocated to 5 experimental treatments that consisted an un-supplemented basal diet and not infected (NC) or infected with ST (IC); IC plus 2 g XOS/kg; IC plus 0.2 g LAC/kg; and IC containing a complete replacement of SBM with FSBM. All birds (except NC) were orally administered with 0.5 mL of the ST solution (1 × 106 CFU/mL) at d 3 post-hatch. The ST challenge decreased body weight gain and feed intake (P < 0.05). The impairment of feed conversion ratio was alleviated by the addition of XOS, LAC, and FSBM in broiler diets compared with IC birds (P < 0.05). The ST infection reduced duodenum and jejunum villus height and increased Salmonella colonization throughout the gut as well as internal organ invasion compared with NC birds (P < 0.05). However, ST-infected broilers fed the XOS, LAC, and FSBM-containing diets showed a significant decrease in gut Salmonella colonization, and internal organ invasion, an increase in LAB counts, and improvement in intestinal mucosa morphology (P < 0.05). The tested feed additives or FSBM reduced heterophil to lymphocyte ratio compared with the IC group (P < 0.05). The results suggest that XOS, LAC, and FSBM improve growth performance, lower Salmonella colonization, and improve intestinal characteristics and immune response in ST-challenged broiler chicks. Therefore, fermented feeds due to having functional ingredients can be considered as an effective strategy to lessen the colonization of gut pathogens in broiler chickens.

Effects of Soybean Meal Fermented by Lactobacillus Species and Clostridium butyricum on Growth Performance, Diarrhea Incidence, and Fecal Bacteria in Weaning Piglets

Fermented soybean meal (FSBM) has been widely investigated as a nutritional strategy for reducing the use of fish meal (FM) and antibiotic growth promoters. Microbial fermentation by using bacteria can increase the bioavailability of nutrients and reduce the levels of antinutritional factors in soybean meal (SBM). In this study, we evaluated whether FSBM produced from Lactobacillus species and Clostridium butyricum improves growth performance, diarrhea incidence, and fecal bacteria in weaning piglets. Eighty-four crossbred male piglets with an average initial body weight of 8.36±0.63 kg were randomly allotted to 3 dietary treatments consisting of 7 replicate stalls with 4 piglets each. The dietary treatments were: (1) 3% FM in the diet; (2) 5% FSBM in the diet; and (3) 3% FM in the diet plus 4 mg/kg antibiotic growth promoters (AGP). We determined that growth performance was unaffected in FSBM-fed weaning piglets compared with a FM group. Similar to the AGP group, FSBM supplementation significantly reduced diarrhea incidence in weaning piglets. The number of fecal Lactobacillus species significantly increased in 28-day-old FSBM-fed weaning piglets compared with the other groups. Compared with AGP, FSBM has the highest inhibitory effect on the number of fecal Enterobacteriaceae at 28 d old. Furthermore, serum immunoglobulin G and immunoglobulin A levels in FSBM-fed weaning piglets significantly increased at the same age. These results together indicate that FSBM can replace FM in the diets of weaning piglets without affecting growth performance. Furthermore, similar to AGP, FSBM could improve diarrhea incidence, fecal bacteria, and immunoglobulin levels in weaning piglets. Therefore, SBM fermented by Lactobacillus species and C. butyricum demonstrated high potential for development as swine feed ingredients.

Beneficial influences of dietary Aspergillus awamori fermented soybean meal on oxidative homoeostasis and inflammatory response in turbot (Scophthalmus maximus L.)

High levels of soybean meal (SBM) in aquafeed leads to detrimental inflammatory response and oxidative stress in fish. In the present study, fermentation with Aspergillus awamori was conducted to explore the potential effects on improving the nutritional quality of soybean meal and the health status of turbot. A 63-day feeding trial (initial weight 8.53 ± 0.11 g) was carried out to evaluate the utilization of fermented soybean meal (FSM) by juvenile turbot. 0% (FM, control), 30% (S30, F30), 45% (S45, F45), and 60% (S60, F60) of fish meal were replaced with SBM or FSM, respectively. As the results showed, fermentation significantly reduced the contents of anti-nutritional factors in SBM, including raffinose (-98.8%), glycinin (-98.5%), β-conglycinin (-97.4%), trypsin inhibitors (-80%) and stachyose (-80%). A depression of fish growth performance and activities of superoxide dismutase and lysozyme were observed in S45 and S60 groups, while these inferiorities were only observed in F60 group. Meanwhile, fermentation also improved the heights of enterocytes and microvillus significantly in the F45 and F60 groups compared with those in SBM. An induced expression of anti-inflammatory cytokine transforming growth factor-β and depression of pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β in the distal intestine were observed in the F45 and F60 groups. Taken together, this study indicated that fermentation with Aspergillus awamori could improve the replacement level with soybean meal from 30% to 45% in turbot.

Optimization of Mixed Solid-state Fermentation of Soybean Meal by Lactobacillus Species and Clostridium butyricum

Soybean meal is the main vegetable protein source in animal feed. Soybean meal contains several anti-nutritional factors, which directly affect digestion and absorption of soy protein, thereby reducing growth performance and value in animals. Fermented soybean meal is rich in probiotics and functional metabolites, which facilitates soybean protein digestion, absorption and utilization in piglets. However, the mixed solid-state fermentation (SSF) conditions of soybean meal remain to be optimized. In this study, we investigated the optimal parameters for SSF of soybean meal by Lactobacillus species and Clostridium butyricum . The results showed that two days of fermentation was sufficient to increase the viable count of bacteria, lactic acid levels and degradation of soybean protein in fermented soybean meal at the initial moisture content of 50%. The pH value, lowering sugar content and oligosaccharides in fermented soybean meal, was significantly reduced at the initial moisture content of 50% after two days of fermentation. Furthermore, the exogenous proteases used in combination with probiotics supplementation were further able to enhance the viable count of bacteria, degradation of soybean protein and lactic acid level in the fermented soybean meal. In addition, the pH value and sugar content in fermented soybean meal were considerably reduced in the presence of both proteases and probiotics. Furthermore, the fermented soybean meal also showed antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli . These results together suggest that supplementation of both proteases and probiotics in SSF improves the nutritional value of fermented soybean meal and this is suitable as a protein source in animal feed.

Horizontal transfer of vanA between probiotic Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis in fermented soybean meal and in digestive tract of growing pigs

Background

The aim of this study was to investigate the intergeneric transfer of vancomycin resistance gene vanA between probiotic enterococci in the fermentation progress of soybean meal and in the digestive tract of growing pigs. One vanA genotype vancomycin resistant E. faecium strain, Efm4, and one chloramphenicol-resistant E. faecalis strain, Efs2, were isolated from twenty-nine probiotic basis feed material / additive samples. For in vitro conjugation, Efm4 and Efs2 were used as starter to ferment soybean meal. For in vivo conjugation, thirty growing pigs were randomly assigned to five groups (n = 6), treated with a basic diet, or supplemented with 10% fermented soybean meal, 1% Efm4, 5% Efs2 or a combination of 1% Efm4 + 5% Efs2 for 7 d, respectively. Fecal samples of pigs in each group were collected daily for the isolation and dynamic analysis of Efm4, Efs2 and transconjugants. The sequence types (STs) of Efm4, Efs2 and transconjugants were analyzed by multilocus sequence typing (MLST). The vanA harboring plasmid in Efm4 and transconjugants was analyzed by S1-pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and further verified by multiple alignments.

Results

The results showed that, in FSBM, transconjugants were detected 1 h after the fermentation, with a conjugation frequency of ~ 10^- 3 transconjugants / recipient. Transconjugants proliferated with Efm4 and Efs2 in the first 8 h and maintained steadily for 10 d till the end of the experiment. Additionally, in vivo experiment showed that transcojugants were recovered in one of six pigs in both FSBM and Efm4 + Efs2 groups, with conjugation frequency of ~ 10^- 5 and ~ 10^- 4, respectively. MLST revealed the ST of Efm4, Efs2 and transconjugants was ST1014, ST69 and ST69, respectively. S1-PFGE confirmed the existence of the vanA-harboring, 142,988-bp plasmid, which was also a multi-drug resistant plasmid containing Tn1546-like transposon.

Conclusions

The findings revealed the potential safety hazard existing in the commercial probiotic enterococci in China, because the horizontal transfer from farm to fork could potentially pose a safety risk to the public.

Fructo-Oligosaccharide Alleviates Soybean-Induced Anaphylaxis in Piglets by Modulating Gut Microbes

Soybean-induced anaphylaxis poses a severe threat to the health of humans and animals. Some commensal bacteria, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria, can prevent and treat allergic diseases. Prebiotic oligosaccharides, a food/diet additive, can enhance health and performance via modulating gut microbes and immune responses. The purpose of this study was to examine whether fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) could alleviate soybean-induced anaphylaxis by modulating gut microbes. Piglets (21 days of age) were sensitized with a diet containing 5% soybean and 30% peeled soybean meal. The treatment with 0.6% FOS started 1 day prior to sensitization and continued everyday thereafter. Blood was collected for measurements of immune indices. The DNA samples isolated from fresh intestinal contents of the middle jejunum (M-jejunum), posterior jejunum (P-jejunum), ileum, and cecum were used for gene sequencing based on 16S rRNA. Our results showed that there was an increase of glycinin-specific IgG, β-conglycinin-specific IgG, total serum IgG and IgE, and occurrence of diarrhea in piglets sensitized with soybean antigen. There was a decrease in interleukin 4 (IL-4) and IL-10 and an increase of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) in piglets with FOS treatment, compared with the piglets without FOS treatment. Improvement of intestinal microbes was indicated mostly by the increase of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria in M-jejunum and the decrease of Proteobacteria in P-jejunum and ileum. The correlation analysis indicated that FOS treatment decreased those closely related to the key species of gut microbes. These results suggest that FOS can alleviate soybean antigen-induced anaphylaxis, which is associated with increased Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria in M-jejunum and declined Proteobacteria in P-jejunum and ileum of piglets.

Effects of fermented soybean meal on carbon and nitrogen metabolisms in large intestine of piglets

Fermented soybean meal (FSM), which has lower anti-nutritional factors and higher active enzyme, probiotic and oligosaccharide contents than its unfermented form, has been reported to improve the feeding value of soybean meal, and hence, the growth performance of piglets. However, whether FSM can affect the bacterial and metabolites in the large intestine of piglets remains unknown. This study supplemented wet-FSM (WFSM) or dry-FSM (DFSM) (5% dry matter basis) in the diet of piglets and investigated its effects on carbon and nitrogen metabolism in the piglets' large intestines. A total of 75 41-day-old Duroc×Landrace×Yorkshire piglets with an initial BW of 13.14±0.22 kg were used in a 4-week feeding trial. Our results showed that the average daily gain of piglets in the WFSM and DFSM groups increased by 27.08% and 14.58% and that the feed conversion ratio improved by 18.18% and 7.27%, respectively, compared with the control group. Data from the prediction gene function of Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States (PICRUSt) based on 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequencing showed that carbohydrate metabolism function families in the WFSM and DFSM groups increased by 3.46% and 2.68% and that the amino acid metabolism function families decreased by 1.74% and 0.82%, respectively, compared with the control group. These results were consistent with those of other metabolism studies, which showed that dietary supplementation with WFSM and DFSM increased the level of carbohydrate-related metabolites (e.g. 4-aminobutanoate, 5-aminopentanoate, lactic acid, mannitol, threitol and β-alanine) and decreased the levels of those related to protein catabolism (e.g. 1,3-diaminopropane, creatine, glycine and inosine). In conclusion, supplementation with the two forms of FSM improved growth performance, increased metabolites of carbohydrate and reduced metabolites of protein in the large intestine of piglets, and WFSM exhibited a stronger effect than DFSM.

Fermented soybean meal exhibits probiotic properties when included in Japanese quail diet in replacement of soybean meal

This study was conducted to investigate and compare the effect of dietary probiotic mixture (PM) and organic acid (OA) mixture with fermented soybean meal (FSBM) on performance, crop, and ceca microbiota, small intestine morphology, and serum lipid profile in Japanese quails. A total of 800 day-old Japanese quails was randomly allotted to 5 treatments with 8 replicate pens of 20 birds each, for 35 days. The experimental diets consisted of a control corn-soybean meal diet and 4 test diets: 1) control diet + 0.1% PM; 2) control diet + 0.2% OA mixture; 3) control diet + the combination of both PM and OA; and 4) an additives-free diet in which the soybean meal in the control diet was replaced with FSBM. The results indicated that in starter and the entire rearing periods, FSBM, PM, and PM+OA diets had significantly lower FCR compared to control or OA diets (P < 0.05). Birds in the FSBM group gained higher weight than control and OA birds (P < 0.05; 1 to 35 d). At d 21 and 35, birds fed the control diet showed significantly lower numbers of lactic acid bacteria in the crop, while coliforms were higher in the cecal content compared to the other diets (P < 0.05). At d 21, the villus height and villus height to crypt depth ratio in the duodenum and jejunum of birds fed PM, PM+OA, and FSBM diets were greater than in other treatments (P < 0.05). The serum concentrations of cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol of birds fed PM, PM+OA, and FSBM diets were significantly lower than birds in control and AO groups (P < 0.05). The results obtained herein suggest that FSBM exhibits probiotic properties and, when used in substitution of SBM in Japanese quail diet, can improve growth performance, balance of desirable gastrointestinal microbiota in crop and ceca, small intestinal morphology, and serum lipid profile-likewise, a probiotic supplement.

Degradation of major allergens and allergenicity reduction of soybean meal through solid-state fermentation with microorganisms

In this study, we determined whether solid-state fermentation could degrade major allergens and reduce potential allergenicity of soybean meal (SBM). Solid-state fermentation was realized through a mixture of Lactobacillus casei, yeast, and Bacillus subtilis. High-performance liquid chromatography, size exclusion-high-performance liquid chromatography, and capillary liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry coupled with electrospray ionization were used to examine the total amino acids and molecular weight distribution of the fermented soybean meal (FSBM). In addition, the potential allergenicity of FSBM was assessed by conducting in vitro competitive inhibition ELISA and oral sensitization and challenge of a BALB/c mice model. The results indicated that the total amino acid content increased and soy protein was degraded into polypeptides with low molecular weights that were derived from the hydrolysis of the allergen sequences N232-D383, G253-I265, E169-S215, G68-G98, A365-I375, and V153-A167. Moreover, the FSBM group exhibited a lower in vitro immunoglobulin E (IgE)-binding capacity than the SBM group. The BALB/c model indicated that the FSBM group manifested milder damage to the intestine, lower mMCP-1 and IgE levels, and higher IFN-γ levels as compared to the SBM group. These findings suggested that the potential allergenicity of SBM was reduced by the solid-state fermentation induced by the mixture of Lactobacillus casei, yeast, and Bacillus subtilis.

Effects of Bacillus fermentation on the protein microstructure and anti-nutritional factors of soybean meal

This study evaluated the effects of Bacillus fermentation on soybean meal protein (SBMP) microstructure and major anti-nutritional factors (ANFs) in soybean meal (SBM). The Bacillus siamensis isolate JL8 producing high yield of protease at 519·1 U g-1 was selected for the laboratory production of fermented soybean meal (FSBM). After 24 h fermentation, the FSBM showed better properties compared with those of SBM, the ANFs such as glycinin, β-conglycinin and trypsin inhibitor significantly decreased by 86·0, 70·3 and 95·01%, while in vitro digestibility and absorbability increased by 8·7 and 18·9% respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image of fermented soybean meal protein showed smaller aggregates and looser network than that of SBMP. Secondary structure examination of proteins revealed fermentation significantly decreased the content of β-sheet structure by 43·2% and increased the random coil structure by 59·9%. It is demonstrated that Bacillus fermentation improved the nutritional quality of SBM through degrading ANFs and changing the microstructure of SBMP.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

There is limited information about the structural property changes of soybean protein during fermentation. In this study, physicochemical analysis of soybean meal protein showed evidence that the increase in in vitro digestibility and absorbability of fermented soybean meal reflected the decrease in β-conformation and destruction of original structure in soybean meal protein. The results directly gained the understanding of nutritional quality improvement of soybean meal by Bacillus fermentation, and supply the potential use of Bacillus siamensis for fermented soybean meal production.

Solid-state fermentation of corn-soybean meal mixed feed with Bacillus subtilis and Enterococcus faecium for degrading antinutritional factors and enhancing nutritional value

BACKGROUND

Corn and soybean meal (SBM) are two of the most common feed ingredients used in pig feeds. However, a variety of antinutritional factors (ANFs) present in corn and SBM can interfere with the bioavailability of nutrients and have negative health effects on the pigs. In the present study, two-stage fermentation using Bacillus subtilis followed by Enterococcus faecium was carried out to degrade ANFs and improve the nutritional quality of corn and SBM mixed feed. Furthermore, the microbial composition and in vitro nutrient digestibility of inoculated mixed feed were determined and compared those of the uninoculated controls.

RESULTS

During the fermentation process, B. subtilis and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were the main dominant bacteria in the solid-state fermented inoculated feed, and fermentation produced a large amount of lactic acid (170 mmoL/kg), which resulted in a lower pH (5.0 vs. 6.4) than the fermented uninoculated feed. The amounts of soybean antigenic proteins (β-conglycinin and glycinin) in mixed feed were significantly decreased after first-stage fermentation with B. subtilis. Inoculated mixed feed following two-stage fermentation contained greater concentratioin of crude protein (CP), ash and total phosphorus (P) compared to uninoculated feed, whereas the concentrations of neutral detergent fiber (NDF), hemicellulose and phytate P in fermendted inoculated feed declined (P < 0.05) by 38%, 53%, and 46%, respectively. Notably, the content of trichloroacetic acid soluble protein (TCA-SP), particularly that of small peptides and free amino acids (AA), increased 6.5 fold following two-stage fermentation. There was no difference in the total AA content between fermented inoculated and uninoculated feed. However, aromatic AAs (Phe and Tyr) and Lys in inoculated feed increased, and some polar AAs, including Arg, Asp, and Glu, decreased compared with the uninoculated feed. In vitro dry matter and CP digestibility of inoculated feed improved (P < 0.05) compared with the uninoculated feed.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that two-stage fermentation using B. subtilis followed by E. faecium is an effective approach to improve the quality of corn-soybean meal mixed feed.