Effects of Blautia coccoides CML164 on production performance and meat quality in broiler chickens

Blautia is an anaerobic bacterium with probiotic properties. Studies have reported that it plays a crucial regulatory role in animal metabolism. However, few reports on its effects on poultry. Therefore, in the early stage of this study, our laboratory obtained a pure strain of Blautia coccoides via in vitro isolation and culture, which was named Blautia coccoides CML164. In our research, we examined the effects of Blautia coccoides CML164 on production performance and meat quality in broiler chickens. The feeding trial demonstrated that this strain effectively increased feed intake, final body weight and body weight gain, while not impacting feed conversion ratio during the late phase of broiler chicken farming. Additionally, in terms of meat quality indicators, Blautia coccoides CML164 could optimize fatty acid and amino acid composition and deposition patterns in muscle tissue, resulting in improved tenderness and elevated flavor precursor levels. This study represented the first confirmation that Blautia coccoides CML164, as a functional probiotic, optimized fat deposition characteristics without compromising growth performance, offering a promising microbial intervention strategy for high-quality chicken meat production.