Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 16, 2026

Strategies to Enhance Cultivation of Anaerobic Bacteria from Gastrointestinal Tract of Chicken
Published on: May 10, 2024
Dietary Supplementation with Multispecies Probiotic Fermented Broth Improves Nutrient Digestibility and Carcass
Haiqing Gan1,2, Youping Tan3, Dan Zhong1
1College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China.
Abstract:
This study evaluated the effects of dietary supplementation with 4% multispecies probiotic fermented broth (MPFB) on the apparent nutrient digestibility, carcass traits, serum immune indices, intestinal morphology, cecal microbiota, and thigh muscle nutrient composition in 815-strain yellow-feathered broilers. A total of 400 healthy 4-day-old broilers with similar body weight and a 1:1 sex ratio were randomly assigned to the control group with basal diet (CON) or the MPFB group with 4% MPFB. The results showed that MPFB significantly increased the apparent digestibility of crude protein and calcium (p < 0.05), and that of crude fiber and phosphorus (p < 0.01). The MPFB group had a higher thigh muscle yield and a lower abdominal fat yield (p < 0.05), while carcass yield tended to increase (p = 0.071). MPFB also elevated serum immunoglobulin M and interleukin-2 concentrations (p < 0.05), increased duodenal villus height (p < 0.05), reduced duodenal crypt depth (p < 0.05), and increased the villus height to crypt depth ratio in the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum (p < 0.05). Cecal microbiota analysis showed that MPFB significantly enriched Ruminococcus gauvreauii_group, Ruminococcus torques_group, and Turicibacter (p < 0.05), while Bacteroides tended to increase (p = 0.093), which were positively correlated with the improved nutrient digestibility and duodenal morphology. In thigh muscle, MPFB tended to increase cysteine content (p = 0.081), decreased C14:0 (p < 0.05), C16:0 and total saturated fatty acids (p < 0.01), increased C20:2 (p < 0.05), and tended to decrease C12:0 and C16:1 but increase C18:2n6c and total polyunsaturated fatty acid (p < 0.10). In conclusion, dietary supplementation with 4% MPFB improved nutrient utilization and selected carcass traits and modulated the thigh muscle fatty acid profile in yellow-feathered broilers, which are potentially associated with improved intestinal morphology and modulation of the cecal microbiota.
Related Concept Videos
Development of Human Microbiota
Microbes in Food Production
Probiotics
Microbiota Modulation by Antibiotics

