A novel microbiome metabolic modulator improves the growth performance of broiler chickens in multiple trials and modulates targeted energy and amino acid metabolic pathways in the cecal metagenome

Abstract

A meta-analysis of 19 floor-pen trials (579 replicate pen observations) in diverse geographies, basal diets, seasons, and medication programs was carried out to evaluate the effects of 2 precision glycan microbiome metabolic modulators ( MMM1 and MMM2 ) on the performance of broiler chickens. In each trial, negative-control ( NC ) diets were compared with either MMM1 (14 trials) or MMM2 (8 trials), supplemented at an intended dose of 500 g/MT from hatch to 31 to 42 d. A dose response of MMM2 was evaluated in 8 trials at doses of 100, 250, 500, and 1,000 g/MT, not all present in each trial. Linear mixed-effect models were constructed for the final BW, cumulative feed intake, feed conversion ratio ( FCR ) corrected by mortality and BW ( cFCR ), and mortality, with Treatment as the fixed effect, nested random effects of Trial and Block, and adjustments for heterogeneity of variances. A significance level of P < 0.05 was used. In one of the studies, cecal content samples were collected at 42 d for analysis of microbiome gene abundance. Microbiome metabolic modulator 2 exhibited a reduction of the cFCR of 0.06 g feed/g BW gain compared with the NC and 0.03 g feed/g BW gain compared with MMM1, whereas MMM1 reduced the cFCR by 0.03 g feed/g BW gain compared with NC. Both MMM1 and MMM2 increased the final BW compared with the NC by 43 and 48 g/bird, respectively, with no difference among them. Compared with NC, feed intake was increased by MMM1 (+51 g/bird) and reduced by MMM2 (−74 g/bird). A one-directional dose response of the MMM2 ingredient was observed for the final BW (increasing) and cFCR (decreasing), whereas the feed intake response reached a minimum at 500 g/MT. The metagenomic analysis confirmed an increase in the abundance of genes belonging to the acrylate pathway, which is involved in propionate production, as well as arginine-N-succinyl transferase which is involved in the catabolism of arginine, in response to MMM2. Differential glycan structures of the MMM had an impact on the size and consistency of performance effects in broilers.

Evaluation of a Precision Biotic on the Growth Performance, Welfare Indicators, Ammonia Output, and Litter Quality of Broiler Chickens

“…This study evaluated the effects of a Glycan-based PB selected for its ability to activate the C3 and C4 SCFA bio-synthesis pathways and modulate amino acid degradation and amine biosynthesis [5], on the performance, footpad lesions, locomotion, and litter characteristics of broiler chickens. With that aim, two trials were performed, one in a controlled experimental facility (Trial 1) and one using portable divisions within a commercial broiler facility (Trial 2) to reflect the environmental conditions in the field.…”

“…Precision biotics (PB) are a new category of nutritional feed ingredients being developed to leverage the recent advances in microbiome science to answer new challenges in the poultry and other protein production industries [3][4][5]. The mode of action employed by PB is unlike that of probiotics, prebiotics or other conventional gut-health products.…”

“…The mode of action employed by PB is unlike that of probiotics, prebiotics or other conventional gut-health products. Precision biotics are microbiome metabolic modulators (MMM) that influence selected metagenomic functions of the gut microbiome, thereby modulating the production of microbial metabolites targeted specifically to promote beneficial outcomes to the animal and the environment [3][4][5]. Unlike existing technologies that modulate the microbiota, the primary action of PB is through the modulation of the abundance of metabolic pathways rather than the modulation of bacterial taxa, i.e., gut microbial profiles [5].…”

“…Precision biotics are carbohydrates with glycosidic linkages and size distributions selected specifically for their ability to modulate microbiome pathways such as short-chain fatty acid production and amino acid metabolism in the gut [5]. For example, it has been found that a specifically selected PB product (Glycan M2-1, Midori USA, Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA, DSM Nutritional Products, Kaiseraugst, Switzerland) modulated the abundance of genes found in microbial pathways associated with propionate production and amino acid metabolism, including pathways that improve energy efficiency [8,9] and reduced intestinal ammonia production, with an improvement observed in growth performance [5].…”

Informal nutrition symposium: leveraging the microbiome (and the metabolome) for poultry production

“…By understanding how microbiome functions are tied to desired host responses, such as increased feed efficiency, more hypothesis-driven questions can be asked for future research and more targeted interventions can be applied to achieve desired microbiome impacts on host response. For example, Walsh et al (2021) utilized a glycan ingredient to modify microbiome genes involved in propionate production in the cecum that was associated with increased feed conversion.…”