Sake Lees: A Potential Feed Ingredient to Enhance Intestinal Barrier Function in Indigenous Meat-type Chickens

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Nutritional Science
• Food Science

Background:

• Food loss and waste (FLW) is a global challenge, with livestock feed suggested as a solution.
• Local food consumption is encouraged to reduce food mileage.
• Sake lees, a byproduct of sake production, is nutrient-rich and a potential functional food ingredient.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the potential of local sake lees as a feed ingredient for indigenous meat-type chickens.
• To assess the impact of sake lees supplementation on chicken growth performance and intestinal barrier function.

Main Methods:

• Indigenous meat-type chickens were fed diets with 20%, 30%, or 40% sake lees for two weeks.
• Growth performance, including body weight gain, was measured.
• Gene expression analysis focused on markers of intestinal barrier function (e.g., claudin-5, occludin, AvBDs).

Main Results:

• Body weight gain and gastrointestinal structure remained unchanged across all dietary groups.
• Sake lees supplementation at 20% and 30% increased the expression of genes related to intestinal barrier function.
• Higher levels of sake lees (40%) did not show the same beneficial effect on gene expression.

Conclusions:

• Dietary supplementation with 20%-30% sake lees can enhance intestinal barrier function in chickens.
• Sake lees represents a promising, locally sourced feed ingredient for sustainable livestock farming.
• Further research may explore optimal inclusion levels and long-term effects.