Effect of Cottonseed Meal Fermented with Yeast on the Lipid-related Gene Expression in Broiler Chickens

Candida tropicalis ZD-3 prevents excessive fat deposition by regulating ileal microbiota and bile acids enterohepatic circulation in broilers

Introduction

Evidence suggests that the dietary intake of Candida tropicalisZD-3 (ZD-3) has various health benefits, but the treatment mechanisms and effects remain unclear. The aim of this study investigates the effect of ZD-3 on reducing fat deposition in broilers and the underlying mechanism.

Methods

180 one-day-old, yellow-feathered broilers were randomly divided into three groups: control (CON) group fed a basal diet, an active Candida tropicalis ZD-3 (ZD) group supplemented with ZD, and a heat-inactivated Candida tropicalis ZD-3 (HZD) group supplemented with HZD. The experiment lasted for 28 d.

Results

The ZD and HZD treatments significantly reduced the abdominal fat index (p < 0.05), decreased TG levels in serum and liver (p < 0.05), altered the ileal microbial composition by reducing the Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio. Additionally, the ZD and HZD treatments reduced liver cholesterol by decreasing ileal FXR-FGF19 signaling and increasing liver FXR-SHP signaling (p < 0.05). The ZD and HZD treatments also changed liver PC and TG classes lipid composition, regulating liver lipid metabolism by promoting TG degradation and modulating the signal transduction of the cell membrane.

Discussion

Overall, ZD-3 was effective in improving lipid metabolism in broilers by regulating the ileal microbial composition and BAs enterohepatic circulation. This study provides a theoretical basis for the development and application of ZD-3 for the regulation of lipid metabolism in broilers.

Fermented cottonseed and rapeseed meals outperform soybean meal in improving performance, rumen fermentation, and bacterial composition in Hu sheep

Background

This study examined the effects of substituting cottonseed meal (CSM) or rapeseed meal (RSM) for soybean meal (SBM) on Hu sheep performance, rumen fermentation, and bacterial composition. 51 four-month-old indigenous male Hu sheep with starting body weights of 22.51 ± 2.84 kg and similar origins were randomly assigned to three treatments; (1) non-fermented total mixed ration (TMR) with SBM (CK), (2) fermented TMR containing CSM (F-CSM group), and (3) fermented TMR containing RSM (F-RSM group).

Results

The three groups’ intake of dry matter differed significantly (p &lt; 0.05). In terms of average daily gain, the F-RSM group outperformed the CK and F-CSM groups (p &lt; 0.05). The pH of the rumen was substantially lower in the CK group than in the F-CSM and F-RSM groups (p &lt; 0.05), and the F-CSM group had greater amounts of volatile fatty acids (VFA) than the F-RSM and CK groups. In comparison to the CK group, the microbial crude protein yield was significantly higher in the F-CSM and F-RSM groups (p &lt; 0.05). The F-CSM group significantly outperformed the F-RSM group of pepsin and cellulose enzyme activity (p &lt; 0.05). The relative abundance of Bacteroidetes was greater in the CK and F-RSM groups compared to the F-CSM group (p &lt; 0.05). In comparison to the other groups, Firmicutes were less abundant in the CK group (p &lt; 0.05). Prevotella was present in a higher relative abundance in the F-CSM and F-RSM groups than in the CK group (p &lt; 0.05). Prevotella was greater in relative abundance in the F-CSM and F-RSM groups than in the CK group (p &lt; 0.05). The relative abundances of Veillonellaceae_UCG-001 and Lachnospiraceae_XPB1014 correlated with rumen butyric acid content and NH3-N content (p &lt; 0.05). Gene function prediction revealed that replacing SBM with F-CSM or F-RSM in the diet of Hu sheep can promote glycan biosynthesis and metabolism.

Conclusion

The replacement of F-CSM and F-RSM for SBM has an influence on the richness and diversity of rumen bacteria at the phylum and genus levels. Replacement of SBM with F-CSM increased VFA yield and further promoted the performance of Hu sheep.

Dietary fiber modulates abdominal fat deposition associated with cecal microbiota and metabolites in yellow chickens

Excessive deposition of abdominal fat is a public concern in the yellow chicken industry related to human nutrition. The common practice of nutritionists is to increase the fiber content in feed to control abdominal fat deposition of chickens. Corncob meal (CCM) is the cheapest ingredient widely used in animal diets. The possible effects of CCM on chicken abdominal fat deposition and the possible mechanism involving cecal microbiota remain unknown. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of CCM in modulating abdominal fat deposition and the role of the cecal microbiota and their metabolites. A total of 200 ninety-day-old Huxu female chickens were divided into 2 dietary treatments, each with 10 replicates of 10 birds, and were fed two finisher diets, from 90 to 135 d. The diets were a typical corn-soybean control diet (CON) and that diet with CCM partially replacing corn and corn gluten meal. Results showed that the CCM diet markedly decreased live weight and abdominal fat percentage (P < 0.05); chickens fed the CCM diet exhibited lower (P < 0.01) expression in abdominal fat of fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4), stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD), fatty acid synthase (FAS), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) but higher (P < 0.05) expression of estrogen receptor alpha (ESR1). The CCM increased the abundance of Akkermansia (P < 0.05) and markedly reduced the relative cecal abundance of Phascolarctobacterium (P < 0.01), Rikenellaceae (P < 0.05), and Faecalibacterium (P < 0.01). The metabolomic and biochemical analyses demonstrated that the CCM diet increased (P < 0.05) the concentrations of butyrate in cecal contents. The majority of the metabolites in cecal digesta with differences in abundance were organic acids. The CCM diet increased (P < 0.05) contents of (R)-5-diphosphomevalote, pantothenic acid, 2-epi-5-epi-valiolone 7-phosphate, D-ribose 5-diphosphate, arbutin 6-phosphate, D-ribitol 5-phosphate, undecanoic acid, nicotinic acid, 4-methyl-2-oxovaleric acid, while decreasing (P < 0.05) those of oleic acid, glutaric acid, adipic acid, suberic acid, and L-fuculose 1-phosphate. In conclusion, these findings demonstrated that the dietary CCM treatment significantly decreased abdominal fat and altered the cecal microbiota and metabolite profiles of the yellow chickens.

Effect of lactic acid bacteria and yeast supplementation on anti-nutritional factors and chemical composition of fermented total mixed ration containing cottonseed meal or rapeseed meal

Objective

This study aimed to determine the appropriate supplementation level of lactic acid bacteria (LAB; Lactobacillus plantarum and Bacillus clausii), yeast (Saccharomyces cariocanus and Wickerhamomyces anomalus) for degrading free gossypol and glucosinolate in the fermented total mixed ration (TMR) containing cottonseed meal (CSM) or rapeseed meal (RSM), to improve the utilization efficiency of these protein sources.

Methods

For LAB, L. plantarum or B. clausii was inoculated at 1.0×10⁸, 1.0×10⁹, 1.0×10¹⁰, and 1.0×10¹¹ colony-forming unit (CFU)/kg dry matter (DM), respectively. For yeast, S. cariocanus or W. anomalus was inoculated at 5×10⁶, 5×10⁷, 5×10⁸, and 5×10⁹ CFU/kg DM, respectively. The TMR had 50% moisture and was incubated at 30°C for 48 h. After fermentation, the chemical compositions, and the contents of free gossypol and glucosinolate were determined.

Results

The results showed that the concentration of free gossypol content was reduced (p<0.05), while that of the crude protein content was increased (p<0.05) in the TMR containing CSM inoculated by B. clausii (1×10⁹ CFU/kg DM) or S. cariocanus (5×10⁹ CFU/kg DM). Similarly, the content of glucosinolate was lowered (p<0.05) and the crude protein content was increased (p<0.05) in TMR containing RSM inoculated with B. clausii (1×10¹⁰ CFU/kg DM) or S. cariocanus (5×10⁹ CFU/g DM).

Conclusion

This study confirmed that inclusion of B. clausii with 1.0×10⁹ or 1.0×10¹⁰ CFU/kg DM, or S. cariocanus (5×10⁹ CFU/kg DM) to TMR containing CSM/RSM improved the nutritional value and decreased the contents of anti-nutritional factors.

Effects of graded levels of microbial fermented or enzymatically treated dried brewer's grains on growth, digestive and nutrient transporter genes expression and cost effectiveness in broiler chickens

BACKGROUND

Poultry feed consists mainly of conventional grains and protein supplements, however, using treated unconventional agro-industrial by-products as replacements of corn soybean-based diet can minimize production costs and improve productivity. Therefore, in this study, the effects of fermented or enzymatically treated dried brewer grains (DBG) on growth, expression of digestive enzymes and nutrient transporters genes and the profitability of the rations were evaluated. A total of 1600 one-day-old Ross 308 broiler chicks were randomly distributed in 2 × 4 factorial arrangement (eight treatments with ten replicates, 20 birds/replicate). Experimental diets included two controls; negative control (basal corn-soybean diet; NC) and positive control (basal corn-soybean diet with exogenous enzymes; PC), and six diets in which basal diet was replaced by three levels of fermented DBG (FDBG; 5, 10 or 15%), or enzyme-treated DBG (DBG 5, 10 or 15%+Enz), for 38 days.

RESULTS

The results described that feeding FDBG (three levels) or DBG5%+Enz improved (P < 0.05) BW gain and feed efficiency of broilers. Also, feeding FDBG10% yielded the best improvement in weight gain (10%), compared to NC group. Increasing the inclusion levels of DBG either fermented or enzymatically treated up-regulated (p < 0.01) expression of digestive-genes in proventriculus (PGC and PGA5, range 1.4-1.8 fold), pancreas (AMY2A, PNLIP, CELA1, and CCK; range 1.2-2.3 fold) and duodenum (CAT1, CAT2, GLUT1, GLUT2, LAT1, Pep1; range 1.3-3 fold) when compared to NC group. Feeding treated DBG significantly increased (p < 0.05, range 4.5-13.6%) gizzard relative weight compared to NC and PC groups. An additional benefit was lower (p < 0.01) cholesterol content from 66.9 mg/100 mg (NC) to 62.8 mg/100 mg (FDBG5 or 10%) in thigh meat. Furthermore, the least cost feed/kg body gain was achieved in FDBG10% and DBG5%+Enz groups, with approx. 16% reduction compared to NC cost, leading to increasing the income gross margin by 47% and 40% in FDBG10% and DBG5%+Enz groups, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Substitution of corn-soybean based diet with 10% FDBG or 5% DBG+Enz resulted in better growth and higher economic efficiency of broilers chickens.

Effect of Fermented Cottonseed Meal on the Lipid-Related Indices and Serum Metabolic Profiles in Broiler Chickens

This study aimed to investigate the changes of lipid-related gene and serum metabolites in broiler chickens fed with fermented cottonseed meal (FCSM) diet, through quantitative real-time PCR and metabolomics analysis. Totally, 180 1-day-old Cobb broilers were randomly assigned to two groups with six replicates of 15 birds in each. The two diets consisted of a control diet supplemented with 0% FCSM (CON group) and an experimental diet with 6% FCSM (fermented by Candida tropicalis) replacing the soybean meal (FCSM group). The results showed that both abdominal fat content and subcutaneous fat thickness significantly reduced (p < 0.05) in response to dietary FCSM supplementation at the age of 21 d. Serum concentrations of glucose, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol decreased (p < 0.05) in FCSM fed broilers compared with CON fed broilers, while the levels of epinephrine and growth hormone in serum, liver and abdominal fat tissue were higher (p < 0.05) in FCSM than in CON fed broilers. The activity of hormone-sensitive esterase and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in the liver and abdominal fat were higher (p < 0.05) in FCSM than CON group. Additionally, compared with the CON group (p < 0.05), the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha and LPL genes were upregulated in the livers of FCSM group broilers. Gene expressions of hormone-sensitive lipase and LPL in the abdominal fat tissue were also upregulated (p < 0.05) with the broilers fed with FCSM diets. A total of 20 significantly different metabolites were obtained in the serum of different dietary FCSM supplemented fed broilers. The mainly altered pathways were clustered into organic acid metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, and amino acid metabolism. These results not only provide a better understanding of broilers' lipid metabolism with FCSM but also can be helpful in further improvement of the broilers' healthy production and utilization of FCSM.

Recent advances in fermented feeds towards improved broiler chicken performance, gastrointestinal tract microecology and immune responses: A review

Previously, fermentation has been associated with methods that improve the nutritional value of unconventional feed ingredients for broilers. In recent decades, the fermentation process has been employed to produce functional feeds that have the potential to improve broiler gastrointestinal tract microecology, health and production performance. Some of the functional ingredients found in fermented feed include lactic acid bacteria (LAB), lactic acid and other organic acids, and appear to play major roles in determining the beneficial effects of fermented feed on broiler gut health and performance. Unlike the pig, the available literature on broiler fermented feed is still rather limited. This review describes recent advances in the use of fermented feed (on the basis of conventional and unconventional feed ingredients) in broilers. Similarly, this review also shows that additional research is necessary to exploit fermented feed as a viable food source in broiler nutrition.