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Comparative efficacy of a yeast product and bacitracin methylene disalicylate in enhancing early growth and intestinal maturation in broiler chicks from breeder hens of different ages
Comparative efficacy of a yeast product and bacitracin methylene disalicylate in enhancing early growth and intestinal maturation in broiler chicks from breeder hens of different ages Y. O. Fasina1 and R. R. Thanissery Department of Poultry Science, Auburn University, 260 Lem Morrison Drive, Auburn, AL 36849-5416 and 8 (OHED) consisted of chicks from old hens fed diets similar to those given to YH in treatments 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Growth performance (body weight gain and feed conversion ratio) was evaluated on d 7 and 14. Intestinal tissue samples were also analyzed for alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity as an indicator of intestinal maturation on d 4 and 13 of experiment. Results showed that by d 14 of experiment, only BMD treatments (YHB and OHB) improved body weight gain (P < 0.05). However, the body weight gains of chicks in the yeast-supplemented treatments (YHE, YHED, OHE, and OHED) were statistically similar (P > 0.05) to those of the BMD treatments. Ileal ALP activity was consistently enhanced by BMD and yeast product supplemented at 0.075% of the diet. It was concluded that antibiotic BMD and our novel yeast product supplemented at 0.075% of the diet improved early chick growth and maturation of the ileal segment of the small intestine.
Key words: alkaline phosphatase activity, bacitracin methylene disalicylate, broiler chick, intestine, yeast product 2011 Poultry Science 90:1067–1073 doi:10.3382/ps.2010-01033
INTRODUCTION The intestine of the chick is not fully developed and is relatively immuno-incompetent at hatch, thereby restricting optimal early chick growth and rendering chicks to be highly susceptible to pathogen colonization (Uni, 1999; Lee et al., 2010). In addition, growth performance of broiler chicks is known to be influenced by the age of the breeder hen flock. Typically, poultry hatchlings obtained from young breeder hens are smaller and do not perform as well as hatchlings obtained from older hens (Fairchild et al., 2001). Because optimal early chick growth is highly dependent on intestinal health and the intestine’s function©2011 Poultry Science Association Inc. Received July 27, 2010. Accepted January 12, 2011. 1 Corresponding author: [email protected]
al state (Konarzewski et al., 1990; Uni, 1999), broiler chicken producers typically administer prophylactic, broad-spectrum antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) in feed to enhance intestinal development, chick growth, and control enteric diseases (Huyghebaert et al., 2010). However, the emergence of microbes that are resistant to antibiotics used to treat human and animal infections in recent years, along with increasing consumer demand for drug-free poultry products, has initiated a search for effective alternatives that have equal efficacy to AGP without adversely affecting broiler productivity and consumer health (Young and Craig, 2001; Kiessling et al., 2002; CDC, 2006; Huyghebaert et al., 2010). A variety of nonantibiotic feed additives such as competitive exclusion products, probiotics (direct-fed microbial products; Lee et al., 2010), prebiotics (Branton et al., 1997), and functional feed additives (yeast products, organic acids, enzymes, and essential oils; Solis de los Santos et al., 2007; Samanta et al., 2010) are being
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ABSTRACT The intestine of the newly hatched chick is immature at hatch. Yeast contains nucleotides and β-glucans that enhance intestinal development and chick growth. Accordingly, a 14-d experiment was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of a novel yeast product and bacitracin methylene disalicylate in enhancing early growth and intestinal maturation in chicks obtained from young (26–27 wk old) and old (58 to 59 wk old) breeder hens. Chicks (384) were randomly assigned to 8 dietary treatments. Treatment 1 (YH) consisted of chicks, from young hens, fed corn-soybean meal (SBM) diet alone. Treatment 2 (YHB) consisted of chicks, from young hens, fed corn-SBM basal into which BMD was added at 0.055 g/kg. Treatment 3 (YHE) consisted of chicks, from young hens, fed corn-SBM basal into which yeast extract (YE) was added at 0.075% level. Treatment 4 (YHED) consisted of chicks, from young hens, fed corn-SBM basal into which YE was added at 0.15% level. Treatments 5 (OH), 6 (OHB), 7 (OHE),
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MATERIALS AND METHODS All the procedures used in this study were approved by the Auburn University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.
Experimental Animals and Treatments Three hundred eighty-four male broiler chicks (Ross × Ross 708) comprising 192 chicks from young breeder hens (26–27 wk of age) and 192 chicks from old breeder hens (58–59 wk of age) were obtained from a commercial hatchery and transported to the Auburn University Poultry Research Farm (Auburn, AL) for experimentation. Upon arrival, chicks were weighed, wing-banded,
and randomly assigned to 1 of 8 dietary treatments. Treatment 1 (YH) included chicks, from young hens, fed a control diet (Table 1) consisting of corn-soybean meal (SBM) basal without BMD or yeast product added. Treatment 2 (YHB) consisted of chicks, from young hens, fed the bacitracin diet (Table 1) consisting of corn-SBM basal into which BMD was added at 0.055 g/kg. Treatment 3 (YHE) consisted of chicks, from young hens, fed the 1× yeast diet consisting of corn-SBM basal into which a novel yeast product (made from dehydrated distillers grains, torula yeast, fermented Aspergillus oryzae, and Bacillus subtilis; Oshawa Specialty Products) was added at 0.075%. Treatment 4 (YHED) consisted of chicks, from young hens, fed the 2× yeast diet (Table 1) consisting of corn-SBM basal into which yeast product was added at 0.15%, twice the amount of yeast product included in treatment 3. Treatments 5 (OH), 6 (OHB), 7 (OHE), and 8 (OHED) consisted of chicks from old hens fed diets similar to those given in treatments 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Each experimental treatment consisted of 4 replicate pens with 12 chicks per pen. All pens were in Petersime raised wire batteries (Petersime, Gettysburg, OH) maintained at 30°C ± 2°C during the first week, after which temperature was gradually decreased weekly by 2°C. Continuous lighting and access to feed and water were provided throughout the experiment. Experimental diets (Table 1) were formulated to meet the recommendations of the National Research Council (1994). Duration of experiment was 2 wk.
Assessment of Growth Performance On a weekly basis, BW and BW gain of each chick was recorded, and feed conversion ratio (FCR) was calculated. Mortality was recorded daily.
Assessing Early Intestinal Development by Determining Alkaline Phosphatase Activity Early intestinal development was assessed by measuring intestinal alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. Intestinal ALP is a membrane-bound glycoprotein that hydrolyzes a wide variety of monophosphate esters at an alkaline pH optimum (Malo et al., 2004). Because intestinal ALP is commonly used as a marker of enterocyte maturation (Uni et al., 2000; Iji et al., 2001; Jeurissen et al., 2002; Hinnebusch et al., 2004), changes in its activity levels can be used as an indirect indicator of enterocyte or intestinal maturation. To collect intestinal tissue samples for ALP analyses, on d 4 and 13 of experiment, 2 chicks were randomly taken from each pen (totaling 8 chicks per treatment) and killed by CO2 asphyxiation. Thereafter, the intestine of each chick was aseptically excised and placed on ice, and a 1-cm tissue section was taken from each segment (duodenum, jejunum, and ileum) of the small
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investigated for use as alternatives to AGP, but none so far have been effective enough to fully replace AGP. Thus, it remains crucial to identify a fully effective, nonantibiotic supplement (or a suitable combination) that can completely replace the use of AGP. Yeast products are nonantibiotic functional products that are naturally obtained from yeast strains such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Kloeckera apiculata (Owens and McCracken, 2007). Although the composition of yeast products varies, they essentially contain nucleotides and β-glucans that enhance intestinal maturation and immune function, respectively (Solis de los Santos et al., 2007; Morales-López et al., 2010). In poultry, the efficacy of yeast products as alternatives to AGP has produced inconsistent results. For instance, in some studies, yeast was found to improve feed utilization and BW in broiler chickens (Madrigal et al., 1993) and turkey poults (Bradley et al., 1994). On the hand, Morales-López et al. (2009) evaluated the effect of various yeast cell wall components on growth performance parameters in broiler chicks, but found no effect. Perhaps the components of a yeast product influence the efficacy of yeast (and yeast-containing products) as growth promoters, and, if so, each yeast product formulation must be evaluated for efficacy as a nonantibiotic AGP. A novel yeast product formulation (comprising dehydrated distillers grains, torula yeast, fermented Aspergillus oryzae, and Bacillus subtilis; Oshawa Specialty Products, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada) may enhance early intestinal development and growth, especially in chicks obtained from young breeder hens. According to Huff et al. (2007), it is important to consider breeder hen age when designing studies to evaluate nonantibiotic alternatives to AGP, and when making decisions to incorporate such alternatives into any facet of production (Huff et al., 2007). Thus, the goal of this study was to compare the efficacy of a novel yeast formulation to bacitracin methylene disalicylate (BMD), an AGP, in enhancing early chick growth and intestinal maturation in broiler chicks obtained from breeder hens of different ages.
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YEAST PRODUCT AND BACITRACIN INFLUENCES CHICK GROWTH Table 1. Percentage composition of experimental diets (as-is basis) Diet Item
54.59 36.90 3.70 0.19 1.68 1.74 0.50 0.25 0.45 — — 3,130 23.0 0.90 1.25 1.10 0.45
Bacitracin1 54.53 36.90 3.70 0.19 1.68 1.74 0.50 0.25 0.45 0.055 — 3,130 23.0 0.90 1.25 1.10 0.45
1× Yeast1 54.51 36.90 3.70 0.19 1.68 1.74 0.50 0.25 0.45 — 0.075 3,130 23.0 0.90 1.25 1.10 0.45
2× Yeast1 54.44 36.90 3.70 0.19 1.68 1.74 0.50 0.25 0.45 — 0.15 3,130 23.0 0.90 1.25 1.10 0.45
1Control = corn–soybean meal (SBM) basal containing no additives; bacitracin = corn–SBM basal into which bacitracin methylene disalicylate was added at 0.055 g/kg; 1× yeast = corn–SBM basal into which yeast product was added at 0.075% level of the diet; 2× yeast = corn–SBM basal into which yeast product was added at 0.15% level of the diet. 2Vitamin premix supplied per kilogram of diet: vitamin A (retinyl acetate), 7,356 IU; vitamin D (cholecal3 ciferol), 2,205 ICU; vitamin E, 8 IU; vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin), 0.2 mg; riboflavin, 5.5 mg; niacin, 36 mg; d-pantothenic acid, 13 mg; choline, 501 mg; vitamin K (menadione sodium bisulfate), 2 mg; folic acid, 0.5 mg; vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), 2.2 mg; vitamin B1 (thiamin), 1.0 mg; d-biotin, 0.5 mg; and ethoxyquin, 0.13 mg. 3Mineral premix supplied per kilogram of diet: manganese, 65 mg; zinc, 55 mg; iron, 55 mg; copper, 6 mg; iodine, 1 mg; and selenium, 0.3 mg.
intestine. Each tissue section was rinsed twice in PBS (Fisher Scientific, Fair Lawn, NJ) to remove the intestinal digesta, snap-frozen in liquid N2, and kept at –70°C until time to determine ALP activity. To determine ALP activity, previously frozen tissue sections were thawed on ice and 350 mg of each tissue was homogenized in 7 mL of 50 mM sodium phosphate buffer (Fisher Scientific) containing 0.5% Triton X-100 (Fisher Biotech, Fair Lawn, NJ). The resulting homogenate was then centrifuged at 10,000 × g (Sorvall Legend 23R, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA) for 15 min at 4°C, and the supernatant was collected for estimation of protein (Quick Start Bradford Protein Assay, Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA) and ALP activity (Quantichrome Alkaline phosphatase assay kit, BioAssay Systems, Hayward, CA). The assay utilized stable p-nitrophenol phosphate as substrate, and ALP activity was expressed as international units per milligram of protein.
Statistical Analysis The experimental unit for all data was pen average. Data for growth performance (BW, BW gain, FCR, and mortality) and intestinal ALP activity were analyzed by ANOVA using the mixed model procedure of SAS (SAS Institute, 2004). Fixed effects for analyses were hen age (young vs. old) and dietary treatments (no feed additive vs. BMD supplementation vs. 1× yeast product supplementation vs. 2× yeast product
supplementation). The fixed effects described and variable effects (BW, BW gain, FCR, mortality, and ALP activity) were subjected to a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement before analyses. In addition, mortality data were subjected to arcsine square root transformation before analysis. Differences of least squares means (TukeyKramer) were used to detect differences among means. Data are presented as means ± SEM and statements of statistical significance were based upon P < 0.05.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Results for chick growth performance are presented in Tables 2 and 3. On d 7 of the experiment, dietary treatment affected BW, BW gain, and FCR of chicks, whereas breeder hen age affected only BW and BW gain (Table 2). Throughout this study, young hen chicks in the control treatment had lower BW and BW gain (P < 0.05) compared with old hen chicks in the control treatment (Tables 2 and 3). Similarly, from 1 to 21 d of age, Schaefer et al. (2006) observed that the BW of poults hatched from young (33-wk-old) breeder hens was lower (P < 0.05) than that of poults hatched from older (55-wk-old) breeder hens. In regard to dietary treatment effects, on d 7 of the experiment, supplementing the diet of young hen chicks with antibiotic BMD (YHB treatment) or yeast product (YHE and YHED treatments) had no effect on chick growth, but improved FCR (P < 0.05) compared with the control treatment in young hen chicks (Table 2). In
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Ingredient Corn Soybean meal Poultry oil dl-Methionine Limestone Dicalcium phosphate Vitamin premix2 Mineral premix3 Salt Bacitracin (antibiotic), g/kg Brewers yeast supplement, % Calculated nutrient composition ME, kcal/kg CP, % TSAA, % Lysine, % Calcium, % Available phosphorus, %
Control
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Fasina and Thanissery Table 2. Effect of yeast product and bacitracin methylene disalicylate on chicks at 7 d of age Treatment1 Chicks from young breeder hens4 YH YHB YHE YHED SEM Chicks from old breeder hens4 OH OHB OHE OHED SEM Sources of variation Dietary treatment Hen age Hen age × dietary treatment
BW,2 g/chick
BW gain,2 g/chick
97cd 105c 102cd 95d 3.73 125b 136a 135a 133a 3.73
63d 70c 68cd 61d 3.57 80b 91a 89a 87ab 3.57
0.0076 <0.0001 NS
0.0056 <0.0001 NS
FCR,3 g:g 1.148a 1.013d 1.005d 1.078bc 0.025 1.106ab 1.039cd 1.018d 1.052bcd 0.025 <0.0001 NS NS
a–dMean
contrast, supplementing the diet of old hen chicks with either antibiotic BMD (OHB treatment) or 0.075% yeast product (OHE treatment) improved BW, BW gain, and FCR (P < 0.05) compared with the control treatment in old hen chicks, whereas the 0.15% yeast supplementation (OHED) did not have a consistent effect on growth performance (Table 2). On d 14 of the experiment (Table 3), among young hen chicks, only chicks in YHB had higher BW and BW gain (P < 0.05) compared with the control YH treatment. However, at
the same time, BW gain of YHB chicks was statistically similar (P > 0.05) to that of chicks in YHE and YHED (Table 3). A similar trend in BW and BW gain was observed for old hen chicks (Table 3). The FCR for all treatments were similar by d 14 of experiment (P > 0.05; Table 3). Our finding that the yeast product evaluated in this study enhanced the growth performance of chicks on d 7 of the experiment is supported by the work of Gao et al. (2008). Gao and colleagues (2008) supplemented a yeast culture product into the
Table 3. Effect of yeast product and bacitracin methylene disalicylate on chicks at 14 d of age Treatment1 Chicks from young breeder hens4 YH YHB YHE YHED SEM Chicks from old breeder hens4 OH OHB OHE OHED SEM Sources of variation Dietary treatment Hen age Hen age × dietary treatment a–eMean
BW,2 g/chick
BW gain,2 g/chick
FCR,3 g:g
268e 306cd 295de 284de 13.26 333bc 370a 358ab 357ab 13.26
228e 273cd 253de 250de 13.85 287bc 326a 313ab 311ab 13.85
1.298 1.225 1.264 1.317 0.052 1.294 1.264 1.250 1.265 0.052
0.0045 <0.0001 NS
0.0028 <0.0001 NS
NS NS NS
values bearing different superscript letters within a column are significantly different (P < 0.05). and OH = chicks from young and old hens, respectively, given the basal corn-soybean meal (SBM) diet and no additives (control); YHB and OHB = given SBM containing bacitracin methylene disalicylate at 0.055 g/kg; YHE and OHE = given SBM containing yeast product at 0.075% (wt/wt); and YHED and OHED = given SBM containing yeast product at 0.15% (wt/wt). 3FCR = feed conversion ratio calculated as feed-to-gain ratio and adjusted for mortality by including the gains of dead birds in the calculations. 4Young breeder hens were 26 to 27 wk of age; old breeder hens were 58 to 59 wk of age. 1YH
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values bearing different superscript letters within a column are significantly different (P < 0.05). and OH = chicks from young and old hens, respectively, given the basal corn-soybean meal (SBM) diet and no additives (control); YHB and OHB = given SBM containing bacitracin methylene disalicylate at 0.055 g/kg; YHE and OHE = given SBM containing yeast product at 0.075% (wt/wt); and YHED and OHED = given SBM containing yeast product at 0.15% (wt/wt). 2Values are based only on weight of live birds. 3FCR = feed conversion ratio calculated as feed-to-gain ratio and adjusted for mortality by including the gains of dead birds in the calculations. 4Young breeder hens were 26 to 27 wk of age; old breeder hens were 58 to 59 wk of age. 1YH
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diets of broiler chicks at 0, 0.25, 0.50, and 0.75% from 1 to 42 d and found that supplementing the yeast culture at 0.25% of the diet improved BW gain and FCR (P < 0.05) throughout the experiment. Total mortality for
Figure 2. Effect of yeast product and bacitracin methylene disalicylate on jejunal alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in chicks at 4 d of age. YH and OH = chicks from young and old hens, respectively, given the basal corn-soybean meal (SBM) diet and no additives (control); YHB and OHB = given SBM containing bacitracin methylene disalicylate at 0.055 g/kg; YHE and OHE = given SBM containing yeast product at the 0.075% (wt/wt) level; and YHED and OHED = given SBM containing yeast product at the 0.15% (wt/wt) level. Bars equal means ± SEM, n = 8; P < 0.05. a–cMeans bearing different letters are significantly different (P < 0.05). Color version available in the online PDF.
Figure 3. Effect of yeast product and bacitracin methylene disalicylate on ileal alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in chicks at 4 d of age. YH and OH = chicks from young and old hens, respectively, given the basal corn-soybean meal (SBM) diet and no additives (control); YHB and OHB = given SBM containing bacitracin methylene disalicylate at 0.055 g/kg; YHE and OHE = given SBM containing yeast product at the 0.075% (wt/wt) level; and YHED and OHED = given SBM containing yeast product at the 0.15% (wt/wt) level. Bars equal means ± SEM, n = 8; P < 0.05. a–dMeans bearing different letters are significantly different (P < 0.05). Color version available in the online PDF.
the current experiment was 1.56%, and no differences were observed among treatments (P = 0.6940). The small intestine is the primary site for nutrient assimilation, and dietary support is central to gut maturation (differentiation), development, and continued function (Pácha, 2000). Furthermore, continuous proliferation, migration, differentiation, and maturation of intestinal crypt stem cells is regulated by a variety of factors, which include luminal nutrients (Uni et al., 2001) such as the BMD and yeast product added into the diet of chicks in this experiment. The effect of yeast product and BMD on intestinal maturation as assessed by ALP activity is presented in Figures 1, 2, and 3. On d 4 of the experiment, duodenal ALP activity was similar (P > 0.05) for all treatments (Figure 1), whereas the effect of dietary supplemented yeast product or BMD on jejunal ALP was inconsistent or staggered (Figure 2). However, in the ileum, differences in ALP activity were observed among treatments (Figure 3). Specifically, among young hen chicks (YH, YHB, YHE, and YHED), the BMD- and yeast product-supplemented treatments (YHB, YHE, and YHED) had higher ileal ALP activity (P < 0.05) compared with the control YH treatment (Figure 3), indicating an enhancement in the maturation of cells in the ileum. Similarly, among old hen chicks, BMD- and yeast product-supplemented at 0.075% treatments (OHB and OHE, respectively) had higher ALP activity (P < 0.05) compared with the control OH treatment (Figure 3). The improvement in the FCR of young hen chicks (YHB, YHE, and YHED) and the improvement in the BW, BW gain, and FCR of old
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Figure 1. Effect of yeast product and bacitracin methylene disalicylate on duodenal alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in chicks at 4 d of age. YH and OH = chicks from young and old hens, respectively, given the basal corn-soybean meal (SBM) diet and no additives (control); YHB and OHB = given SBM containing bacitracin methylene disalicylate at 0.055 g/kg; YHE and OHE = given SBM containing yeast product at the 0.075% (wt/wt) level; and YHED and OHED = given SBM containing yeast product at the 0.15% (wt/wt) level. Bars equal means ± SEM, n = 8; P < 0.05. Color version available in the online PDF.
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hen chicks (OHB and OHE) on d 7 of experiment was possibly due to BMD and yeast product enhancement of epithelial maturation in the ileum of chicks. Results of intestinal ALP activity in this study are consistent with those of Solis de los Santos et al. (2007) who reported differences in morphological response of each intestinal segment (duodenum, jejunum, and ileum) to dietary supplementation of Alphamune yeast extract (Alpharma Animal Health, Bridgewater, NJ) at 0.1 or 0.2% level of broiler chick diets from 1 to 21 d of age. Solis de los Santos et al. (2007) assessed intestinal maturation in broiler chicks by measuring mucosal morphological parameters such as villus height, villus surface area, lamina propria thickness, and crypt depth as indices of epithelial maturation. They observed that Alphamune supplementation had no effect on duodenum epithelial morphology, had mixed (or inconclusive effects) on jejunal morphology, and significantly influenced only ileal morphology, as observed in this study with our yeast product and BMD. Specifically, they observed that dietary supplementation of Alphamune at up to 2% of the diet enhanced villus height, villus surface area, lamina propria thickness, and crypt depth in the ileum at 7 and 21 d (P < 0.05) of the experiment. Another interesting point from previous reports is that the effective inclusion levels reported for a yeast culture (0.25%; Gao et al., 2008) and Alphamune yeast extract (2%; Solis de los Santos et al., 2007) are different from the 0.075% level observed to be effective for the novel yeast product used in this study. This finding reinforces the need to evaluate the efficacy of every
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Figure 4. Effect of yeast product and bacitracin methylene disalicylate on jejunal alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in chicks at 13 d of age. YH and OH = chicks from young and old hens, respectively, given the basal corn-soybean meal (SBM) diet and no additives (control); YHB and OHB = given SBM containing bacitracin methylene disalicylate at 0.055 g/kg; YHE and OHE = given SBM containing yeast product at the 0.075% (wt/wt) level; and YHED and OHED = given SBM containing yeast product at the 0.15% (wt/wt) level. Bars equal means ± SEM, n = 8; P < 0.05. Color version available in the online PDF.
yeast product for its intended use before inclusion in poultry or animal diets. In summary, we compared the efficacy of a novel yeast product and BMD in enhancing early growth and intestinal maturation in broiler chicks from breeder hens of different ages. Results from this study showed that chicks from young hens had lesser BW (P < 0.05) compared with chicks from older hens. During the first week of life, chicks from young hens effectively utilized both BMD and yeast product (supplemented at up to 0.15% level of the diet) for improving FCR (P < 0.05; Table 2). In addition to the improvement in FCR, chicks from old hens effectively utilized both BMD and yeast product (supplemented at 0.075% level of the diet) to improve BW and BW gain (Table 2). However, by d 14 of experiment, BMD was most effective in enhancing growth of chicks from both young and old hens (Table 3). Ileal ALP activity (epithelial maturation) was consistently enhanced by BMD supplementation and yeast product supplemented at 0.075% level of the diet in both young and old hen chicks, whereas yeast product supplemented at 0.15% level had an inconsistent effect (Figure 4). We concluded that antibiotic BMD and yeast product supplemented at 0.075% level of the diet improved early chick growth and ileal (intestinal) maturation.
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Pácha, J. 2000. Development of intestinal transport function in mammals. Physiol. Rev. 80:1633–1667. Samanta, S., S. Haldar, and T.K. Ghosh. 2010. Comparative efficacy of organic acid blend and bacitracin methylene disalicylate as growth promoters in broiler chickens: Effects on performance, gut histology, and small intestinal milieu. Vet. Med. Int. doi:10.4061/2010/645150. SAS Institute. 2004. SAS/STAT User’s Guide. Version 9.1 for Windows. SAS Inst. Inc., Cary, NC. Schaefer, C. M., C. M. Corsiglia, A. Mireles Jr., and E. A. Koutsos. 2006. Turkey breeder hen age affects growth and systemic and intestinal inflammatory responses in female poults examined at different ages posthatch. Poult. Sci. 85:1755–1763. Solis de los Santos, F., A. M. Donoghue, M. B. Farnell, G. R. Huff, W. E. Huff, and D. J. Donoghue. 2007. Gastrointestinal maturation is accelerated in turkey poults supplemented with a mannan-oligosaccharide yeast extract (Alphamune). Poult. Sci. 86:921–930. Uni, Z. 1999. Functional development of the small intestine in domestic birds: Cellular and molecular aspects. Poult. Avian Biol. Rev. 10:167–179. Uni, Z., O. Gal-Garber, A. Geyra, D. Sklan, and S. Yahav. 2001. Changes in growth and function of chick small intestine epithelium due to early thermal conditioning. Poult. Sci. 80:438–445. Uni, Z., G. Zaiger, O. Gal-Garber, M. Pines, I. Rozenboim, and R. Reifen. 2000. Vitamin A deficiency interferes with proliferation and maturation of cells in the chicken small intestine. Br. Poult. Sci. 41:410–415. Young, R., and A. Craig. 2001. Too hard to swallow: The truth about drugs and poultry. The use and misuse of antibiotics in UK Agriculture. Part 3. Residues of dangerous drugs in intensively produced chicken meat and eggs. The Soil Association, Bristol, UK.
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Jeurissen, S. H. M., F. Lewis, J. D. van der Klis, Z. Mroz, J. M. J. Rebel, and A. A. H. M. ter Huurne. 2002. Parameters and techniques to determine intestinal health of poultry as constituted by immunity, integrity, and functionality. Curr. Issues Intest. Microbiol. 3:1–14. Kiessling, C. R., J. H. Cutting, M. Loftis, W. M. Kiessling, A. R. Data, and J. N. Sofos. 2002. Antimicrobial resistance of food-related Salmonella isolates 1999–2000. J. Food Prot. 65:603–608. Konarzewski, M., C. Lilja, J. Kozlowski, and B. Lewonczuk. 1990. On the optimal growth of alimentary tract in avian postembryonic development. J. Zool. (Lond.) 222:89–101. Lee, K., H. S. Lillehoj, and G. R. Siragusa. 2010. Direct-fed microbials and their impact on the intestinal microflora and immune system of chickens. Jpn. Poult. Sci. 47:106–114. Madrigal, S. A., S. E. Watkins, J. T. Skinner, M. H. Adams, A. L. Waldroup, and P. W. Waldroup. 1993. Effect of an active yeast culture on performance of broilers. Poult. Sci. 72(Suppl. 1):87. (Abstr.) Malo, M. S., W. Zhang, F. Alkhoury, P. Pushpakaran, M. A. Abedrapo, M. Mozumder, E. Fleming, A. Siddique, J. W. Henderson, and R. A. Hodin. 2004. Thyroid hormone positively regulates the enterocyte differentiation marker intestinal alkaline phosphatase gene via an atypical response element. Mol. Endocrinol. 18:1941–1962. Morales-López, R., E. Auclair, F. García, E. Esteve-Garcia, and J. Brufau. 2009. Use of yeast cell walls; β-1, 3/1, 6-glucans; and mannoproteins in broiler chicken diets. Poult. Sci. 88:601–607. Morales-López, R., E. Auclair, F. van Immerseel, R. Ducatelle, F. García, and J. Brufau. 2010. Effects of different yeast cell wall supplements added to maize or wheat-based diets for broiler chickens. Br. Poult. Sci. 51:399–408. National Research Council. 1994. Nutrient Requirements of Poultry. 9th rev. ed. Natl. Acad. Press, Washington, DC. Owens, B., and K. J. McCracken. 2007. A comparison of the effects of different yeast products and antibiotic on broiler performance. Br. Poult. Sci. 48:49–54.
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Key words: alkaline phosphatase activity, bacitracin methylene disalicylate, broiler chick, intestine, yeast product 2011 Poultry Science 90:1067–1073 doi:10.3382/ps.2010-01033
INTRODUCTION The intestine of the chick is not fully developed and is relatively immuno-incompetent at hatch, thereby restricting optimal early chick growth and rendering chicks to be highly susceptible to pathogen colonization (Uni, 1999; Lee et al., 2010). In addition, growth performance of broiler chicks is known to be influenced by the age of the breeder hen flock. Typically, poultry hatchlings obtained from young breeder hens are smaller and do not perform as well as hatchlings obtained from older hens (Fairchild et al., 2001). Because optimal early chick growth is highly dependent on intestinal health and the intestine’s function©2011 Poultry Science Association Inc. Received July 27, 2010. Accepted January 12, 2011. 1 Corresponding author: [email protected]
al state (Konarzewski et al., 1990; Uni, 1999), broiler chicken producers typically administer prophylactic, broad-spectrum antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) in feed to enhance intestinal development, chick growth, and control enteric diseases (Huyghebaert et al., 2010). However, the emergence of microbes that are resistant to antibiotics used to treat human and animal infections in recent years, along with increasing consumer demand for drug-free poultry products, has initiated a search for effective alternatives that have equal efficacy to AGP without adversely affecting broiler productivity and consumer health (Young and Craig, 2001; Kiessling et al., 2002; CDC, 2006; Huyghebaert et al., 2010). A variety of nonantibiotic feed additives such as competitive exclusion products, probiotics (direct-fed microbial products; Lee et al., 2010), prebiotics (Branton et al., 1997), and functional feed additives (yeast products, organic acids, enzymes, and essential oils; Solis de los Santos et al., 2007; Samanta et al., 2010) are being
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ABSTRACT The intestine of the newly hatched chick is immature at hatch. Yeast contains nucleotides and β-glucans that enhance intestinal development and chick growth. Accordingly, a 14-d experiment was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of a novel yeast product and bacitracin methylene disalicylate in enhancing early growth and intestinal maturation in chicks obtained from young (26–27 wk old) and old (58 to 59 wk old) breeder hens. Chicks (384) were randomly assigned to 8 dietary treatments. Treatment 1 (YH) consisted of chicks, from young hens, fed corn-soybean meal (SBM) diet alone. Treatment 2 (YHB) consisted of chicks, from young hens, fed corn-SBM basal into which BMD was added at 0.055 g/kg. Treatment 3 (YHE) consisted of chicks, from young hens, fed corn-SBM basal into which yeast extract (YE) was added at 0.075% level. Treatment 4 (YHED) consisted of chicks, from young hens, fed corn-SBM basal into which YE was added at 0.15% level. Treatments 5 (OH), 6 (OHB), 7 (OHE),
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MATERIALS AND METHODS All the procedures used in this study were approved by the Auburn University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.
Experimental Animals and Treatments Three hundred eighty-four male broiler chicks (Ross × Ross 708) comprising 192 chicks from young breeder hens (26–27 wk of age) and 192 chicks from old breeder hens (58–59 wk of age) were obtained from a commercial hatchery and transported to the Auburn University Poultry Research Farm (Auburn, AL) for experimentation. Upon arrival, chicks were weighed, wing-banded,
and randomly assigned to 1 of 8 dietary treatments. Treatment 1 (YH) included chicks, from young hens, fed a control diet (Table 1) consisting of corn-soybean meal (SBM) basal without BMD or yeast product added. Treatment 2 (YHB) consisted of chicks, from young hens, fed the bacitracin diet (Table 1) consisting of corn-SBM basal into which BMD was added at 0.055 g/kg. Treatment 3 (YHE) consisted of chicks, from young hens, fed the 1× yeast diet consisting of corn-SBM basal into which a novel yeast product (made from dehydrated distillers grains, torula yeast, fermented Aspergillus oryzae, and Bacillus subtilis; Oshawa Specialty Products) was added at 0.075%. Treatment 4 (YHED) consisted of chicks, from young hens, fed the 2× yeast diet (Table 1) consisting of corn-SBM basal into which yeast product was added at 0.15%, twice the amount of yeast product included in treatment 3. Treatments 5 (OH), 6 (OHB), 7 (OHE), and 8 (OHED) consisted of chicks from old hens fed diets similar to those given in treatments 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Each experimental treatment consisted of 4 replicate pens with 12 chicks per pen. All pens were in Petersime raised wire batteries (Petersime, Gettysburg, OH) maintained at 30°C ± 2°C during the first week, after which temperature was gradually decreased weekly by 2°C. Continuous lighting and access to feed and water were provided throughout the experiment. Experimental diets (Table 1) were formulated to meet the recommendations of the National Research Council (1994). Duration of experiment was 2 wk.
Assessment of Growth Performance On a weekly basis, BW and BW gain of each chick was recorded, and feed conversion ratio (FCR) was calculated. Mortality was recorded daily.
Assessing Early Intestinal Development by Determining Alkaline Phosphatase Activity Early intestinal development was assessed by measuring intestinal alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. Intestinal ALP is a membrane-bound glycoprotein that hydrolyzes a wide variety of monophosphate esters at an alkaline pH optimum (Malo et al., 2004). Because intestinal ALP is commonly used as a marker of enterocyte maturation (Uni et al., 2000; Iji et al., 2001; Jeurissen et al., 2002; Hinnebusch et al., 2004), changes in its activity levels can be used as an indirect indicator of enterocyte or intestinal maturation. To collect intestinal tissue samples for ALP analyses, on d 4 and 13 of experiment, 2 chicks were randomly taken from each pen (totaling 8 chicks per treatment) and killed by CO2 asphyxiation. Thereafter, the intestine of each chick was aseptically excised and placed on ice, and a 1-cm tissue section was taken from each segment (duodenum, jejunum, and ileum) of the small
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investigated for use as alternatives to AGP, but none so far have been effective enough to fully replace AGP. Thus, it remains crucial to identify a fully effective, nonantibiotic supplement (or a suitable combination) that can completely replace the use of AGP. Yeast products are nonantibiotic functional products that are naturally obtained from yeast strains such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Kloeckera apiculata (Owens and McCracken, 2007). Although the composition of yeast products varies, they essentially contain nucleotides and β-glucans that enhance intestinal maturation and immune function, respectively (Solis de los Santos et al., 2007; Morales-López et al., 2010). In poultry, the efficacy of yeast products as alternatives to AGP has produced inconsistent results. For instance, in some studies, yeast was found to improve feed utilization and BW in broiler chickens (Madrigal et al., 1993) and turkey poults (Bradley et al., 1994). On the hand, Morales-López et al. (2009) evaluated the effect of various yeast cell wall components on growth performance parameters in broiler chicks, but found no effect. Perhaps the components of a yeast product influence the efficacy of yeast (and yeast-containing products) as growth promoters, and, if so, each yeast product formulation must be evaluated for efficacy as a nonantibiotic AGP. A novel yeast product formulation (comprising dehydrated distillers grains, torula yeast, fermented Aspergillus oryzae, and Bacillus subtilis; Oshawa Specialty Products, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada) may enhance early intestinal development and growth, especially in chicks obtained from young breeder hens. According to Huff et al. (2007), it is important to consider breeder hen age when designing studies to evaluate nonantibiotic alternatives to AGP, and when making decisions to incorporate such alternatives into any facet of production (Huff et al., 2007). Thus, the goal of this study was to compare the efficacy of a novel yeast formulation to bacitracin methylene disalicylate (BMD), an AGP, in enhancing early chick growth and intestinal maturation in broiler chicks obtained from breeder hens of different ages.
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YEAST PRODUCT AND BACITRACIN INFLUENCES CHICK GROWTH Table 1. Percentage composition of experimental diets (as-is basis) Diet Item
54.59 36.90 3.70 0.19 1.68 1.74 0.50 0.25 0.45 — — 3,130 23.0 0.90 1.25 1.10 0.45
Bacitracin1 54.53 36.90 3.70 0.19 1.68 1.74 0.50 0.25 0.45 0.055 — 3,130 23.0 0.90 1.25 1.10 0.45
1× Yeast1 54.51 36.90 3.70 0.19 1.68 1.74 0.50 0.25 0.45 — 0.075 3,130 23.0 0.90 1.25 1.10 0.45
2× Yeast1 54.44 36.90 3.70 0.19 1.68 1.74 0.50 0.25 0.45 — 0.15 3,130 23.0 0.90 1.25 1.10 0.45
1Control = corn–soybean meal (SBM) basal containing no additives; bacitracin = corn–SBM basal into which bacitracin methylene disalicylate was added at 0.055 g/kg; 1× yeast = corn–SBM basal into which yeast product was added at 0.075% level of the diet; 2× yeast = corn–SBM basal into which yeast product was added at 0.15% level of the diet. 2Vitamin premix supplied per kilogram of diet: vitamin A (retinyl acetate), 7,356 IU; vitamin D (cholecal3 ciferol), 2,205 ICU; vitamin E, 8 IU; vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin), 0.2 mg; riboflavin, 5.5 mg; niacin, 36 mg; d-pantothenic acid, 13 mg; choline, 501 mg; vitamin K (menadione sodium bisulfate), 2 mg; folic acid, 0.5 mg; vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), 2.2 mg; vitamin B1 (thiamin), 1.0 mg; d-biotin, 0.5 mg; and ethoxyquin, 0.13 mg. 3Mineral premix supplied per kilogram of diet: manganese, 65 mg; zinc, 55 mg; iron, 55 mg; copper, 6 mg; iodine, 1 mg; and selenium, 0.3 mg.
intestine. Each tissue section was rinsed twice in PBS (Fisher Scientific, Fair Lawn, NJ) to remove the intestinal digesta, snap-frozen in liquid N2, and kept at –70°C until time to determine ALP activity. To determine ALP activity, previously frozen tissue sections were thawed on ice and 350 mg of each tissue was homogenized in 7 mL of 50 mM sodium phosphate buffer (Fisher Scientific) containing 0.5% Triton X-100 (Fisher Biotech, Fair Lawn, NJ). The resulting homogenate was then centrifuged at 10,000 × g (Sorvall Legend 23R, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA) for 15 min at 4°C, and the supernatant was collected for estimation of protein (Quick Start Bradford Protein Assay, Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA) and ALP activity (Quantichrome Alkaline phosphatase assay kit, BioAssay Systems, Hayward, CA). The assay utilized stable p-nitrophenol phosphate as substrate, and ALP activity was expressed as international units per milligram of protein.
Statistical Analysis The experimental unit for all data was pen average. Data for growth performance (BW, BW gain, FCR, and mortality) and intestinal ALP activity were analyzed by ANOVA using the mixed model procedure of SAS (SAS Institute, 2004). Fixed effects for analyses were hen age (young vs. old) and dietary treatments (no feed additive vs. BMD supplementation vs. 1× yeast product supplementation vs. 2× yeast product
supplementation). The fixed effects described and variable effects (BW, BW gain, FCR, mortality, and ALP activity) were subjected to a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement before analyses. In addition, mortality data were subjected to arcsine square root transformation before analysis. Differences of least squares means (TukeyKramer) were used to detect differences among means. Data are presented as means ± SEM and statements of statistical significance were based upon P < 0.05.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Results for chick growth performance are presented in Tables 2 and 3. On d 7 of the experiment, dietary treatment affected BW, BW gain, and FCR of chicks, whereas breeder hen age affected only BW and BW gain (Table 2). Throughout this study, young hen chicks in the control treatment had lower BW and BW gain (P < 0.05) compared with old hen chicks in the control treatment (Tables 2 and 3). Similarly, from 1 to 21 d of age, Schaefer et al. (2006) observed that the BW of poults hatched from young (33-wk-old) breeder hens was lower (P < 0.05) than that of poults hatched from older (55-wk-old) breeder hens. In regard to dietary treatment effects, on d 7 of the experiment, supplementing the diet of young hen chicks with antibiotic BMD (YHB treatment) or yeast product (YHE and YHED treatments) had no effect on chick growth, but improved FCR (P < 0.05) compared with the control treatment in young hen chicks (Table 2). In
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Ingredient Corn Soybean meal Poultry oil dl-Methionine Limestone Dicalcium phosphate Vitamin premix2 Mineral premix3 Salt Bacitracin (antibiotic), g/kg Brewers yeast supplement, % Calculated nutrient composition ME, kcal/kg CP, % TSAA, % Lysine, % Calcium, % Available phosphorus, %
Control
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BW,2 g/chick
BW gain,2 g/chick
97cd 105c 102cd 95d 3.73 125b 136a 135a 133a 3.73
63d 70c 68cd 61d 3.57 80b 91a 89a 87ab 3.57
0.0076 <0.0001 NS
0.0056 <0.0001 NS
FCR,3 g:g 1.148a 1.013d 1.005d 1.078bc 0.025 1.106ab 1.039cd 1.018d 1.052bcd 0.025 <0.0001 NS NS
a–dMean
contrast, supplementing the diet of old hen chicks with either antibiotic BMD (OHB treatment) or 0.075% yeast product (OHE treatment) improved BW, BW gain, and FCR (P < 0.05) compared with the control treatment in old hen chicks, whereas the 0.15% yeast supplementation (OHED) did not have a consistent effect on growth performance (Table 2). On d 14 of the experiment (Table 3), among young hen chicks, only chicks in YHB had higher BW and BW gain (P < 0.05) compared with the control YH treatment. However, at
the same time, BW gain of YHB chicks was statistically similar (P > 0.05) to that of chicks in YHE and YHED (Table 3). A similar trend in BW and BW gain was observed for old hen chicks (Table 3). The FCR for all treatments were similar by d 14 of experiment (P > 0.05; Table 3). Our finding that the yeast product evaluated in this study enhanced the growth performance of chicks on d 7 of the experiment is supported by the work of Gao et al. (2008). Gao and colleagues (2008) supplemented a yeast culture product into the
Table 3. Effect of yeast product and bacitracin methylene disalicylate on chicks at 14 d of age Treatment1 Chicks from young breeder hens4 YH YHB YHE YHED SEM Chicks from old breeder hens4 OH OHB OHE OHED SEM Sources of variation Dietary treatment Hen age Hen age × dietary treatment a–eMean
BW,2 g/chick
BW gain,2 g/chick
FCR,3 g:g
268e 306cd 295de 284de 13.26 333bc 370a 358ab 357ab 13.26
228e 273cd 253de 250de 13.85 287bc 326a 313ab 311ab 13.85
1.298 1.225 1.264 1.317 0.052 1.294 1.264 1.250 1.265 0.052
0.0045 <0.0001 NS
0.0028 <0.0001 NS
NS NS NS
values bearing different superscript letters within a column are significantly different (P < 0.05). and OH = chicks from young and old hens, respectively, given the basal corn-soybean meal (SBM) diet and no additives (control); YHB and OHB = given SBM containing bacitracin methylene disalicylate at 0.055 g/kg; YHE and OHE = given SBM containing yeast product at 0.075% (wt/wt); and YHED and OHED = given SBM containing yeast product at 0.15% (wt/wt). 3FCR = feed conversion ratio calculated as feed-to-gain ratio and adjusted for mortality by including the gains of dead birds in the calculations. 4Young breeder hens were 26 to 27 wk of age; old breeder hens were 58 to 59 wk of age. 1YH
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values bearing different superscript letters within a column are significantly different (P < 0.05). and OH = chicks from young and old hens, respectively, given the basal corn-soybean meal (SBM) diet and no additives (control); YHB and OHB = given SBM containing bacitracin methylene disalicylate at 0.055 g/kg; YHE and OHE = given SBM containing yeast product at 0.075% (wt/wt); and YHED and OHED = given SBM containing yeast product at 0.15% (wt/wt). 2Values are based only on weight of live birds. 3FCR = feed conversion ratio calculated as feed-to-gain ratio and adjusted for mortality by including the gains of dead birds in the calculations. 4Young breeder hens were 26 to 27 wk of age; old breeder hens were 58 to 59 wk of age. 1YH
YEAST PRODUCT AND BACITRACIN INFLUENCES CHICK GROWTH
diets of broiler chicks at 0, 0.25, 0.50, and 0.75% from 1 to 42 d and found that supplementing the yeast culture at 0.25% of the diet improved BW gain and FCR (P < 0.05) throughout the experiment. Total mortality for
Figure 2. Effect of yeast product and bacitracin methylene disalicylate on jejunal alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in chicks at 4 d of age. YH and OH = chicks from young and old hens, respectively, given the basal corn-soybean meal (SBM) diet and no additives (control); YHB and OHB = given SBM containing bacitracin methylene disalicylate at 0.055 g/kg; YHE and OHE = given SBM containing yeast product at the 0.075% (wt/wt) level; and YHED and OHED = given SBM containing yeast product at the 0.15% (wt/wt) level. Bars equal means ± SEM, n = 8; P < 0.05. a–cMeans bearing different letters are significantly different (P < 0.05). Color version available in the online PDF.
Figure 3. Effect of yeast product and bacitracin methylene disalicylate on ileal alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in chicks at 4 d of age. YH and OH = chicks from young and old hens, respectively, given the basal corn-soybean meal (SBM) diet and no additives (control); YHB and OHB = given SBM containing bacitracin methylene disalicylate at 0.055 g/kg; YHE and OHE = given SBM containing yeast product at the 0.075% (wt/wt) level; and YHED and OHED = given SBM containing yeast product at the 0.15% (wt/wt) level. Bars equal means ± SEM, n = 8; P < 0.05. a–dMeans bearing different letters are significantly different (P < 0.05). Color version available in the online PDF.
the current experiment was 1.56%, and no differences were observed among treatments (P = 0.6940). The small intestine is the primary site for nutrient assimilation, and dietary support is central to gut maturation (differentiation), development, and continued function (Pácha, 2000). Furthermore, continuous proliferation, migration, differentiation, and maturation of intestinal crypt stem cells is regulated by a variety of factors, which include luminal nutrients (Uni et al., 2001) such as the BMD and yeast product added into the diet of chicks in this experiment. The effect of yeast product and BMD on intestinal maturation as assessed by ALP activity is presented in Figures 1, 2, and 3. On d 4 of the experiment, duodenal ALP activity was similar (P > 0.05) for all treatments (Figure 1), whereas the effect of dietary supplemented yeast product or BMD on jejunal ALP was inconsistent or staggered (Figure 2). However, in the ileum, differences in ALP activity were observed among treatments (Figure 3). Specifically, among young hen chicks (YH, YHB, YHE, and YHED), the BMD- and yeast product-supplemented treatments (YHB, YHE, and YHED) had higher ileal ALP activity (P < 0.05) compared with the control YH treatment (Figure 3), indicating an enhancement in the maturation of cells in the ileum. Similarly, among old hen chicks, BMD- and yeast product-supplemented at 0.075% treatments (OHB and OHE, respectively) had higher ALP activity (P < 0.05) compared with the control OH treatment (Figure 3). The improvement in the FCR of young hen chicks (YHB, YHE, and YHED) and the improvement in the BW, BW gain, and FCR of old
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Figure 1. Effect of yeast product and bacitracin methylene disalicylate on duodenal alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in chicks at 4 d of age. YH and OH = chicks from young and old hens, respectively, given the basal corn-soybean meal (SBM) diet and no additives (control); YHB and OHB = given SBM containing bacitracin methylene disalicylate at 0.055 g/kg; YHE and OHE = given SBM containing yeast product at the 0.075% (wt/wt) level; and YHED and OHED = given SBM containing yeast product at the 0.15% (wt/wt) level. Bars equal means ± SEM, n = 8; P < 0.05. Color version available in the online PDF.
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hen chicks (OHB and OHE) on d 7 of experiment was possibly due to BMD and yeast product enhancement of epithelial maturation in the ileum of chicks. Results of intestinal ALP activity in this study are consistent with those of Solis de los Santos et al. (2007) who reported differences in morphological response of each intestinal segment (duodenum, jejunum, and ileum) to dietary supplementation of Alphamune yeast extract (Alpharma Animal Health, Bridgewater, NJ) at 0.1 or 0.2% level of broiler chick diets from 1 to 21 d of age. Solis de los Santos et al. (2007) assessed intestinal maturation in broiler chicks by measuring mucosal morphological parameters such as villus height, villus surface area, lamina propria thickness, and crypt depth as indices of epithelial maturation. They observed that Alphamune supplementation had no effect on duodenum epithelial morphology, had mixed (or inconclusive effects) on jejunal morphology, and significantly influenced only ileal morphology, as observed in this study with our yeast product and BMD. Specifically, they observed that dietary supplementation of Alphamune at up to 2% of the diet enhanced villus height, villus surface area, lamina propria thickness, and crypt depth in the ileum at 7 and 21 d (P < 0.05) of the experiment. Another interesting point from previous reports is that the effective inclusion levels reported for a yeast culture (0.25%; Gao et al., 2008) and Alphamune yeast extract (2%; Solis de los Santos et al., 2007) are different from the 0.075% level observed to be effective for the novel yeast product used in this study. This finding reinforces the need to evaluate the efficacy of every
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Figure 4. Effect of yeast product and bacitracin methylene disalicylate on jejunal alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in chicks at 13 d of age. YH and OH = chicks from young and old hens, respectively, given the basal corn-soybean meal (SBM) diet and no additives (control); YHB and OHB = given SBM containing bacitracin methylene disalicylate at 0.055 g/kg; YHE and OHE = given SBM containing yeast product at the 0.075% (wt/wt) level; and YHED and OHED = given SBM containing yeast product at the 0.15% (wt/wt) level. Bars equal means ± SEM, n = 8; P < 0.05. Color version available in the online PDF.
yeast product for its intended use before inclusion in poultry or animal diets. In summary, we compared the efficacy of a novel yeast product and BMD in enhancing early growth and intestinal maturation in broiler chicks from breeder hens of different ages. Results from this study showed that chicks from young hens had lesser BW (P < 0.05) compared with chicks from older hens. During the first week of life, chicks from young hens effectively utilized both BMD and yeast product (supplemented at up to 0.15% level of the diet) for improving FCR (P < 0.05; Table 2). In addition to the improvement in FCR, chicks from old hens effectively utilized both BMD and yeast product (supplemented at 0.075% level of the diet) to improve BW and BW gain (Table 2). However, by d 14 of experiment, BMD was most effective in enhancing growth of chicks from both young and old hens (Table 3). Ileal ALP activity (epithelial maturation) was consistently enhanced by BMD supplementation and yeast product supplemented at 0.075% level of the diet in both young and old hen chicks, whereas yeast product supplemented at 0.15% level had an inconsistent effect (Figure 4). We concluded that antibiotic BMD and yeast product supplemented at 0.075% level of the diet improved early chick growth and ileal (intestinal) maturation.
YEAST PRODUCT AND BACITRACIN INFLUENCES CHICK GROWTH
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