ISSUE FOCUS 58 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE November 2022 Similar to its host, the microbiome possesses a metabolism that can be modulated in specific ways. For example, being able to positively alter the protein metabolism of microbes would lead to an enhanced production of beneficial substances, such as branched and short-chain fatty acids, and polyamines. On the other hand, suppressing undesirable functions of the bacteria can reduce ammonia/ammonium production and emission, and reduce the generation of skatole and other indoles that increase luminal pH, cause epithelial damage and negatively impact litter quality and welfare, among other negative effects. We have demonstrated that our PB consistently shifts overall microbial metabolism (Figure 1A), by increasing the abundance of beneficial pathways and decreasing the abundance of putrefactive pathways (Figure 1B). It is essential to understand that it’s not protein fermentation in general that is a concern, but specific functions of bacterial protein fermentation. Being able to specifically reduce these undesirable functions is important in poultry production. Increasing nitrogen metabolism and the conversion of ammonia into amino acids can influence the total amount of nitrogen and ammonia excreted, with the amino acids potentially used to build microbial protein. Decreasing nitrogen and ammonia secretions can help lower producers’ environmental impact. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS Enteric bacterial infections are one consequence of modern intensive animal production, and can lead to major financial losses and increase the risk of foodborne illness from bacterial contamination of meat and meat products. However, influencing the functions of the microbiome that can lead to higher utilization of nitrogen, and lower produc- (A) (B) Figure 1: Overall microbiome metabolism shift promoted by SymphiomeTM (A), and abundance of pathways changed with SymphiomeTM relative to control.
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