Studies have shown that Bacillus coagulans can improve protein digestion, modulate and balance the intestinal microbiota, and stimulate the immune system. This can support performance through improved feed conversion, a strengthened immune defense and intestinal barrier function, and a stable, balanced microbial mix.
R&D Application Manager
Biochem – Feed Safety for Food Safety
Efficient animal production is highly dependent on the overall well-being of animals, including intestinal health. Gut health is a complex topic that combines nutrition, microbiology, and immunology and is the foundation of performance and profitability. Indeed, when gut health is compromised, digestion and nutrient absorption are affected, which has a detrimental effect on feed conversion leading to economic loss and greater susceptibility to disease. The efficient conversion of feed into its basic components for optimal nutrient absorption is vital for both broiler and broiler breeder production and welfare.
The genetic progress in broiler breeding has resulted in documented changes in growth rate, carcass morphology, and feed efficiency such that modern broiler chickens have substantially greater growth rates, carcass yield, and feed efficiency than the birds from yesteryear (Carney et al., 2022). This improvement in performance comes at a price, however, as for broiler breeders, impaired reproductive efficiency has been associated with increasing broiler performance. Moreover, broiler hens have a propensity to suffer similar underlying health problems as do their offspring—namely obesity and lameness.
To counter this, feed restriction has been necessary for broiler breeders during the rearing and laying periods to maximize productivity and reproductive efficiency and to reduce obesity-related disorders. However, this feeding scheme results in relatively long periods of fasting, resulting in negative impacts on both health and welfare. The reduction of nutrients in the intestinal tract alters the intestinal microbiota, changes the physicochemical properties of the intestinal digesta and disturbs the balance of the intestinal ecosystem (Hinton et al., 2000; Thompson et al., 2008). Indeed, feed restriction can result in performance-impairing intestinal disorders, inflammation, morphological changes, changes in gene expression, and alterations in the intestinal microbiota composition.
Antibiotic growth promotors have historically been used to maintain performance; however, their use has been banned in many regions. As such, other methods have been explored to keep performance in their production operations. Feed additives such as organic acids, prebiotics, and probiotics have emerged as promising tools and parts of antibiotic growth promotor replacing approaches. Indeed, it is generally accepted that probiotics have the potential to improve weight gain, final body weight, feed digestion and conversion, gut microbiota composition, epithelial growth, intestinal inflammation, and immune defense.
One recent study published in the Journal of Livestock and Technologies (Parhizkar et al., 2022) demonstrates the benefits of a probiotic—Bacillus coagulans DSM 32016—on the performance of broiler breeders. Bacillus coagulans DSM 32016 is a lactic acid-producing and spore-forming bacterium. This combination makes Bacillus coagulans DSM 32016 a unique probiotic in animal nutrition and its beneficial effects can be attributed to several modes of action. Bacterial spores are generally known to be resistant to heat, pressure, and acidity and, therefore, can survive both the pelleting processes and stomach environment. In the intestine, lactic acid both improves the gut environment and makes an unfavorable environment for harmful, pH-sensitive bacterial growth.
Studies have shown that Bacillus coagulans can improve protein digestion, modulate and balance the intestinal microbiota, and stimulate the immune system. This can support performance through improved feed conversion, a strengthened immune defense and intestinal barrier function, and a stable, balanced microbial mix. In animal production, these health-supportive effects (associated with a performance improvement and reduced mortality) have been observed in poultry. Bacillus-based probiotics have been shown to improve overall health and performance but also laying performance, egg quality, fertility, embryonic mortality, and hatchability. Moreover, Bacillus coagulans supports overall absorption of calcium and phosphorus in laying hens contributing to improved eggshell thickness. In fact, a recent study by Parhizkar et al. 2022 credits the ability for Bacillus coagulans DSM 32016 supplementation to enhance productive and reproductive efficiency of broiler breeders on its ability to improve overall intestinal health.
IMPROVED PRODUCTIVITY
To assess the effect of Bacillus coagulans DSM 32016 (TechnoSpore®) on productivity and reproductive efficiency of broiler breeders, a 20-week feeding trial was conducted in 240 hens aged 22 weeks. Birds were randomly assigned into two groups of 12 replicates with 10 hens per replicate and fed either a basal diet (Control) or the basal diet supplemented with 1.0 × 109 CFU/kg final feed Bacillus coagulans DSM 32016 (Treatment). Body weight (weekly), mortality (daily), laying performance (daily), egg quality (weekly), and egg fertility (week 35 and 42), and feed clean-up time (day 175 and day 245) were analysed. Final data were corrected for mortality. The fertility of eggs was determined on weeks 35 and 42 as a percentage of total settable eggs. All eggs were candled on the seventh day of incubation and eggs with unclear embryos were removed and opened for visual inspection.
In comparison to the control group, TechnoSpore® supplementation significantly increased the total egg production and total settable eggs per hen (Figure 1). Moreover, probiotic supplementation enhanced egg mass per hen (Figure 1). TechnoSpore® supplementation also resulted in a significant improvement of egg yolk weight and eggshell thickness (Figure 2), although the average egg weight was reduced. This small decrease in egg weight is attributed to the increase in egg number as there is likely some limit, biologically, to production boundaries. No significant difference between the two groups in weekly egg weight difference, average body weight, and cleaning-up time were noted. In contrast to the control group in which eight fatalities were recorded (mortality rate of 6.7 %), no deaths in the TechnoSpore® group were noted. Additionally, a positive effect of Techno-Spore® supplementation on egg fertility (an average improvement of 2.5 %) was observed compared to the control group (Figure 3).
BETTER PROFITABILITY
Although, the precise modes of action that may have contributed to the observed performance enhancements are not well understood, it can be expected that the overall improved gut health and enhanced feed conversion from TechnoSpore®, based on Bacillus coagulans DSM 32016, has facilitated the improvement in egg production and quality as well as reduced mortality.
Healthy, productive poultry is dependent on a healthy gut. TechnoSpore® specially developed by Biochem is a reliable probiotic to support gut health and in this way overall performance. The collective findings of this study indicate the multifaceted beneficial properties of TechnoSpore® to increase:
• Number of total eggs and egg mass per hen
• Number of settable and fertile eggs
• Eggshell thickness and egg yolk weight
• Farm profitability and sustainability
Additionally, these probiotic-improved parameters indicate the potential of TechnoSpore® to similarly improve the performance in other poultry such as laying hens, where the usage of pharmacological substances is known to be problematic. As a great alternative to antibiotic growth promotors, TechnoSpore®, based on Bacillus coagulans DSM 32016, can be a reliable and environmentally friendly way to maintain or increase farm profitability.
References
• Carney VL, Anthony NB, Robinson FE, Reimer BL, Korver DR, Zuidhof MJ, Afrouziyeh M. Evolution of maternal feed restriction practices over 60 years of selection for broiler productivity. Poult Sci. 2022 101(10):101957.
• Hinton A Jr, Buhr RJ, Ingram KD. Physical, chemical, and microbiological changes in the ceca of broiler chickens subjected to incremental feed withdrawal. Poult Sci. 2000 79(4):483-8.
• Thompson K, Burkholder K, Patterson J, Applegate TJ. Microbial ecology shifts in the ileum of broilers during feed withdrawal and dietary manipulations. Poult Sci. 2008 87(8):1624-32.
• Parhizkar S, Zaghari M, Zhandi M. Beneficial effect of Bacillus coagulans DSM 32016 on performance and productivity of broiler breeders. J Livest Technol. 2022 10(1):1-10.
About Dr. Lydia Zeibich
Dr. Lydia Zeibich is an R&D Application Manager at Biochem and received her Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Bayreuth. She researched the intestinal microbiome and how dietary polymers impact intestinal fermentation. Lydia spent her time as a post-doctoral researcher at Arizona State University investigating the connections between gut microbiota and human health. Her work included studies on cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. All in all, Lydia is an expert in the space of Host-Microbe Interactions and animal gut health.
