Bacterial fermentation in the gastrointestinal tract of non-ruminants: Influence of fermented feeds and fermentable carbohydrates

Abstract

The search for alternatives to in-feed antibiotics in animal nutrition has highlighted the role dietary modulation can play in improving gut health. Current antibiotic replacement strategies have involved the use of microbes beneficial to health (probiotics) or fermentable carbohydrates (prebiotics) or both (synbiotics). The present review recognises the contribution of fermented feeds and fermentable carbohydrates in improving the gut environment in non-ruminants. It proposes the screening of probiotic bacteria for the production of fermented feeds and supplementation of these feeds with fermentable carbohydrates prior to feeding animals. It is suggested that the term 'fermbiotics' should be used to describe this intervention strategy.

Effects of liquid metabolite combinations produced by Lactobacillus plantarum on growth performance, faeces characteristics, intestinal morphology and diarrhoea incidence in postweaning piglets

“…The production of lactic acid and SCFA respond to the pH reduction of the intestinal mucosa (Taras et al 2006). Moreover, LAB in the metabolite treatments was able to compete with ENT pathogens for the surface and nutrients in the gastrointestinal tract and increased the available energy in the host (Abu-Tarboush et al 1996; Canibe et al 2008; Niba et al 2009). According to Foo et al (2005), metabolites produced by existing bacteria present in the gut were able to reduce pH further by fermentation process.…”

Alternatives to the use of antimicrobial agents in pig production: A multi-country expert-ranking of perceived effectiveness, feasibility and return on investment

“…This subsequently improved the gut health and thus served as an alternative to antimicrobial agents (Bhandari et al, 2008;Hermes et al, 2009;Jacela et al, 2010;Badia et al, 2012;Upadrasta et al, 2013). Intestinal bacterial diversity could also be improved by using fermented feed (Niba et al, 2009;Tajima et al, 2009). Other feed additives that influence the immune response, the microbiome or that show antibacterial effects such as some phytotherapeutics are suggested to be alternatives to antimicrobial agents as well (Jacela et al, 2010;Ohno et al, 2012;Chu et al, 2013).…”

Identification and Characterization of Potential Performance-Related Gut Microbiotas in Broiler Chickens across Various Feeding Trials

“…The gut also contains a unique type of microbial ecosystem which is affected by the flow of nutrients from the diet, hostderived substrates such as mucin and bile acids, the immunological responses of the host, and gut anatomy (36,44,57,82). Conversely, the gut microbiota has significant impacts on the host, such as influencing the chick's gastrointestinal development, biochemistry, immunology, gene expression, physiology, and nonspecific resistance to infection (18,26,36,50,62,82). The gastrointestinal microbiota has one of the highest cell densities for any ecosystem and in poultry ranges from 10 7 to 10 11 bacteria per gram gut content (3).…”

“…The gut microbiota has been reported to have both buffering (reducing energy loss when the host is in a fasted state) and counterproductive (reducing dietary energy utilization) actions on energy metabolism in chickens (47). Although chicks raised in a germfree environment grow faster than those in conventional environments where they are exposed to microbial challenges (16), germfree chicks have physiological abnormalities such as reduced intestinal motility, lower body temperature, and a poorly developed immune system (50). All of these physiological functions were improved after addition of a normal microbiota to the gut (50).…”