Effects of encapsulated cinnamaldehyde on growth performance, intestinal digestive and absorptive functions, meat quality and gut microbiota in broiler chickens

Abstract

Essential oils are potential antimicrobial alternatives and their applications in animal feeds are limited due to their fast absorption in upper gastrointestinal tract. This study investigated the effects of encapsulated cinnamaldehyde (CIN) at 50 mg/kg or 100 mg/kg on the growth performance, organ weights, meat quality, intestinal morphology, jejunal gene expression, nutrient digestibility, and ileal and cecal microbiota. A total of 320 male day-old broiler Cobb-500 chicks were randomly allocated to 4 treatments with 8 pens per treatment (10 birds per pen): 1) basal diet (negative control, NC); 2) basal diet supplemented with 30 mg/kg avilamycin premix (positive control, PC); 3) basal diet with 50 mg/kg encapsulated CIN (EOL); 4) basal diet with 100 mg/kg encapsulated CIN (EOH). Despite birds fed EOH tended to increase (P = 0.05) meat pH at 24 h, all pH values were normal. Similar to PC group, meat from birds fed EOL and EOH showed a reduced (P < 0.05) Warner-Bratzler force shear (WBFS) compared to the NC group. The highest villus to crypt ratios (VH/CD; P < 0.05) were observed in broiler fed either EOL or EOH, with an average being 14.67% and 15.13% in the duodenum and 15.13% and 13.58% in the jejunum, respectively. For jejunal gene expressions, only six out of the 11 studied genes showed statistically differences among the dietary treatments. Gene expressions of cationic amino acid transporter 1 (CAT-1) and neutral amino acid transporter 1 (B 0AT-1) were upregulated in EOH-fed birds compared to PC and NC-fed birds (P < 0.05), respectively; while expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) were downregulated in EOL-fed birds when compared to NC birds (P < 0.05). Nonetheless, the expressions of cadherin 1 (CDH-1), zonula occludens 1 (ZO-1), and maltase-glucoamylase (MG) were all upregulated (P < 0.05) in EOH-fed birds compared to PC-fed birds. The apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of dry matter, crude protein, crude fat and of all 18 tested amino acids increased in EOL-fed birds (P < 0.01). Additionally, relative abundances (%) of ileal Proteobacteria decreased, while ileal and cecal Lactobacillus increased in EOH-fed birds (P < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary encapsulated CIN improved meat quality and gut health by reducing meat WBFS, increasing VH/CD in intestines, jejunal gene expressions, AID of nutrients and beneficially ileal and cecal microbiota composition.

Application of Organic Acids and Essential Oils as Alternatives to Antibiotic Growth Promoters in Broiler Chickens

“…The supplementation of individual or a combination of organic acids (OAs) and essential oils (EOs) has been studied and applied to improve the gut health and growth performance of animals [ 6 , 7 ]. OAs are known to improve the growth performance and gut health of broilers, mainly by modulating gut pH and exhibiting antimicrobial effects [ 8 ], and EOs are also known to have antimicrobial, antioxidative, and anti-inflammatory effects [ 9 , 10 ]. Furthermore, the use of a blend of diverse types of OAs and EOs could potentially show synergistic effects, enhancing gut health and exhibiting antimicrobial effects [ 11 ].…”

Gut Microbiome Studies in Livestock: Achievements, Challenges, and Perspectives

“…At the order level, Bacillales, Enterobacteriales, Lactobacillales, and Campylobacterales are the most common groups ( Figure 2 ), while the most prevalent families include Enterobacteriaceae and Lactobacillaceae [ 139 ]. As far as the dominant genera are concerned, Alistipes , Bacteroides , Clostridium , Helicobacter , Lactobacillus , and Ruminococcus [ 133 , 143 , 144 , 146 , 147 , 148 , 149 ] stand out as well as Flavobacterium [ 139 ], Campylobacter, and Veillonella [ 150 ]. A detailed list of the GIT-associated bacterial taxa and the related bibliographic references in pig is reported in Table S2 .…”

Dietary cinnamaldehyde with carvacrol or thymol improves the egg quality and intestinal health independent of gut microbiota in post-peak laying hens

“…As antibiotics in diets are prohibited globally, aromatic plants and their extracts have been receiving attention due to their positive role in poultry performance and health, in which most of their positive properties mainly contribute to the essential oils and other secondary plant metabolites (3), including cinnamaldehyde, carvacrol, and thymol. Studies on broilers indicated the beneficial roles of 50 mg/kg of cinnamaldehyde in intestinal morphology, microbiota, expressions of nutrient transporters, and apparent ileal digestibility of dry matter and crude protein (4). A linear increase in the ileal digestibility of ash, crude protein, crude fat, calcium, and phosphorus was also observed as dosedependent supplements of phytogenic feed additive composed of thyme and star anise (0-1,500 mg/kg) in broilers (5).…”