ObjectiveThis study shows the effects of dietary fiber levels on cecal microbiota composition in geese at day 70 according to pyrosequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene.MethodsA total of 468 1-day-old healthy male Yangzhou goslings with similar body weight were randomly divided into 3 groups with 6 replicates per group and 26 geese per replicate. Geese were fed diets with fiber levels of 2.5% (low fiber level diet, Group I) and 6.1% (Group III) during days 1–70, respectively, or 4.3% for days 1–28 and 6.1% for days 29–70 (Group II).ResultsLow fiber level diet decreased body weight, average daily gain during, increased lower feed conversation rate of geese during day 1 to 70 (p<0.05). Low fiber level diet decreased the total operational taxonomic units, Chao1 index and Shannon index, whereas increased the Simpson index of cecal microbiota in geese at day 70. Low fiber level diet decreased the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Bacteroides, and Paraprevotella in cecum of geese at day 70. The similarity of cecal microbiota between low fiber level diet group and other groups was smaller.ConclusionThis study indicates that the low fiber level diet decreased diversity of microbiota, and relative abundance of some beneficial microbiota in cecum of geese at day 70, implying that the low fiber level diet has negative influence on performance by altering the diversity and population of cecal microbiota in geese.

Flaxseed meal (FSM) is rich in protein, α-linolenic acid, dietary fiber, flaxseed gum, and other bioactive substances. The total protein content of these components is up to 30%. Thus, FSM can be used as a high-quality protein feed resource. However, due to the presence of anti-nutritional factors, such as cyanogenic glycosides (CGs), phytic acid, anti-vitamin B6 factor, and other anti-nutritional factors, the application of FSM is restricted in animal diets. Recently, the interest in decreasing anti-nutritional factors and improving the nutritional value of FSM has been increasing in the field of animal nutrition. Therefore, this paper reviews the nutritional components, anti-nutritional factors, and the CG detoxification methods of FSM as well as its application in livestock and poultry, in order to provide a theoretical reference for the application of FSM in animal husbandry.

Gallic acid is a phenolic compound that exhibits antibacterial, antioxidative and anti‐inflammatory functions. In a previous study, we found that dietary supplementation with gallic acid decreased incidence of diarrhoea and protected intestinal integrity in weaning piglets. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here, a pig intestinal epithelial cell line (IPEC‐J2) was used as an in vitro model to explore the antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory capacity of gallic acid. IPEC‐J2 cells were stimulated with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to establish oxidative and inflammatory models, respectively. Results showed that H2O2 significantly decreased catalase (CAT) secretion and CAT mRNA abundance in the cells (p < 0.05), while pretreatment with gallic acid did not prevent the decrease in CAT expression induced by H2O2. However, gallic acid pretreatment mitigated the increased expression of the tumour necrosis factor‐α and interleukin‐8 genes caused by LPS in IPEC‐J2 cells (p < 0.05). In addition, pretreatment with gallic acid significantly suppressed phosphorylation of NF‐κB and IκBα in LPS‐stimulated IPEC‐J2 cells. Moreover, LPS stimulation decreased the protein abundance of zona occludens 1 (ZO‐1) and occludin, while pretreatment with gallic acid preserved expression level of tight junction proteins ZO‐1 and occludin in LPS‐stimulated IPEC‐J2 cells (p < 0.05). In conclusion, gallic acid may mitigate LPS‐induced inflammatory responses by inhibiting the NF‐κB signalling pathway, exerting positive effects on the barrier function of IPEC‐J2 cells.