Effect of probiotics on the meat flavour and gut microbiota of chicken

To date, no report has demonstrated the use of beneficial microbes for contributing to the flavour characteristics and gut microbiota diversity of chicken. Here, we selected six probiotics obtained from our laboratory and supplemented them in six different combinations to 420 newborn male Qingjiaoma chickens under the same controlled living environment (60 birds, no probiotic supplements). The results showed that chicken supplemented with Bacillus species showed beneficial effects in body weight. Acetate is the major fermentation production in the chicken caecum, and chicken supplemented with Pediococcus pentosaceus had the average higher short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) contents. In chicken caecal microflora, the abundance of Bacteroidetes bacteria was positively correlated with the content of propionate, butyrate, and isobutyrate, whereas an increase in acetate content was positively correlated to the abundance of Firmicutes. Compared to chickens without probiotic supplement, chickens supplemented with P. pentosaceus had more characteristic flavour compounds in the sampled breast meat, especially higher concentrations of (E)-2-heptenal, (E,E)-2,4-nonadienal, and certain C6-C9 unsaturated fatty acids. This resulted in a stronger chicken-fatty or fatty odour which directly improved the flavour. These findings suggest that probiotics can improve chicken meat flavour and increase gut microbiota diversity.