Supplementing the early diet of broilers with soy protein concentrate can improve intestinal development and enhance short-chain fatty acid-producing microbes and short-chain fatty acids,especially butyric acid

Background:Research on nutrition in early-life commonly focuses on the maturation of the intestine because the intestinal system is crucial for ensuring continued growth.To explore the importance of early nutrition regulation in animals,soy protein concentrate(SPC)was added to the early diet of broilers to investigate its effects on amino acid digestibility,intestinal development,especially intestinal microorganisms,and broiler metabolites.A total of 192 oneday-old Arbor Acres(AA)male broilers were randomly assigned to two experimental treatments with 8 replicates of 12 birds.The control group was fed a basal diet(control),and the treatment group was fed a basal diet supplemented with 12%SPC(SPC12)during the first 10 d(starter phase).From d 11 to 21(grower phase)and d 22 to 42(finisher phase),a basal diet was fed to both treatment groups.Results:SPC reduced the pH value and acid-binding capacity of the starter diet(P<0.05,d 10);SPC in the early diet enhanced the gizzard weight(P<0.05,d 10 and d 42)and the ileum weight(P<0.05,d 10)and decreased the weight and length of the jejunum(P<0.05,d 10)and the relative length of the duodenum and jejunum(P<0.05,d 10).At the same time,SPC enhanced villus height(P<0.05,d 10)and muscle thickness in the jejunum and ileum(P<0.05,d 10)and increased the number of goblet cells in the duodenum(P<0.05,d 10).Meanwhile,SPC increased the Chao1 index and the ACE index(P<0.05,d 10)and altered the composition of caecal microflora at d 10.SPC also increased the relative abundance of Alistipes,Anaerotruncus,Erysipelatoclostridium,Intestinimonas and Flavonifractor bacteria(P<0.05,d 10).At the same time,the concentrations of caecal butyric acid and total short-chain fatty acids(SCFAs)were also increased in the SPC12 group(P<0.05,d 10).Conclusions:In summary,the results showed that supplementing the starter diet of broilers with SPC has a significant effect on the early development of the intestine and the microflora.

Comparative effects of soy protein concentrate,enzyme‑treated soybean meal,and fermented soybean meal replacing animal protein supplements in feeds on growth performance and intestinal health of nursery pigs

Background Soy protein supplements,with high crude protein and less antinutritional factors,are produced from soybean meal by different processes.This study evaluated the comparative effects of various soy protein supplements replacing animal protein supplements in feeds on the intestinal immune status,intestinal oxidative stress,mucosaassociated microbiota,and growth performance of nursery pigs.Methods Sixty nursery pigs(6.6±0.5 kg BW)were allotted to five treatments in a randomized complete block design with initial BW and sex as blocks.Pigs were fed for 39 d in 3 phases(P1,P2,and P3).Treatments were:Control(CON),basal diet with fish meal 4%,2%,and 1%,poultry meal 10%,8%,and 4%,and blood plasma 4%,2%,and 1%for P1,P2,and P3,respectively;basal diet with soy protein concentrate(SPC),enzyme-treated soybean meal(ESB),fermented soybean meal with Lactobacillus(FSBL),and fermented soybean meal with Bacillus(FSBB),replacing 1/3,2/3,and 3/3 of animal protein supplements for P1,P2,and P3,respectively.Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure in SAS 9.4.Results The SPC did not affect the BW,ADG,and G:F,whereas it tended to reduce(P=0.094)the ADFI and tended to increase(P=0.091)crypt cell proliferation.The ESM did not affect BW,ADG,ADFI,and G:F,whereas tended to decrease(P=0.098)protein carbonyl in jejunal mucosa.The FSBL decreased(P<0.05)BW and ADG,increased(P<0.05)TNF-α,and Klebsiella and tended to increase MDA(P=0.065)and IgG(P=0.089)in jejunal mucosa.The FSBB tended to increase(P=0.073)TNF-α,increased(P<0.05)Clostridium and decreased(P<0.05)Achromobacter and alpha diversity of microbiota in jejunal mucosa.Conclusions Soy protein concentrate,enzyme-treated soybean meal,and fermented soybean meal with Bacillus could reduce the use of animal protein supplements up to 33%until 7 kg body weight,up to 67%from 7 to 11 kg body weight,and entirely from 11 kg body weight without affecting the intestinal health and the growth performance of nursery pigs.Fermented soybean meal with Lactobacillus,however,increased the immune reaction and oxidative stress in the intestine consequently reducing the growth performance.

Efficacy of soy protein concentrate replacing animal protein supplements in mucosa-associated microbiota, intestinal health, and growth performance of nursery pigs

This study investigated the effects of using soy protein concentrate (SPC) to replace animal protein supplements on mucosa-associated microbiota,intestinal health,and growth performance of nursery pigs.Fifty-six newly weaned pigs (BW=6.4±0.6 kg) were allotted to 5 treatments in a randomized complete block design.Pigs were fed for 35 d in 3 phases (P;1,2,3) for 10,12,13 d,respectively.Dietary treatments were:(1) basal diet with fish meal (P1:4%,P2:2%,and P3:1%),poultry meal (P1:10%,P2:8%,and P3:4%),and blood plasma (P1:4%,P2:2%,and P3:1%),where SPC replacing none (NC);(2) basal diet with SPC replacing fish meal (RFM);(3) basal diet with SPC replacing poultry meal (RPM);(4) basal diet with SPC replacing blood plasma (RBP);and (5) basal diet with SPC replacing all animal protein supplements (PC).Growth performance was recorded for each phase.Pigs were euthanized on d 35 to collect jejunal mucosa and tissue to evaluate intestinal health and microbiota,and ileal digesta to measure apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of nutrients.Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS.Overall,RFM,RPM,and RBP did not affect growth performance,whereas PC decreased (P<0.05) ADG and ADFI.The RPM increased (P<0.05) Prevotella stercorea and decreased (P<0.05) Helicobacter rappini.The PC decreased (P<0.05) H.rappini,whilst increasing (P<0.05) Prevotella copri,Propionibacterium acnes,and Pelomonas aquatica.The RFM tended to increase (P=0.096) immunoglobulin A in the jejunum.The PC tended to decrease (P=0.078) jejunal crypt cell proliferation.There were no differences in the villus height,AID of nutrients,intestinal inflammation,and intestinal oxidative stress among treatments.In conclusion,SPC can replace fish meal,poultry meal,or blood plasma individually without affecting growth performance and intestinal health,and AID of nutrients of nursery pigs.Particularly SPC replacing poultry meal benefitted intestinal health by reducing H.rappini and increasing P.stercorea.However,SPC replacing all three animal protein supplements reduced growth of nursery pigs mainly by reducing feed intake.