The Relationship Between Probiotic Feed and Animal Production Performance

In animal production, the regular supplementation of probiotics can significantly affect their nutritional intake, digestion, production performance, and economic benefits.

Probiotic's Role in Non-ruminant Production Performance

For monogastric animals or non-ruminants, dietary costs account for approximately 70% to 75% of the total costs. This underscores the necessity to optimize dietary formulation to provide all the nutrients needed for optimal health and production performance. Intestinal microbiota plays critical roles in the upkeep of intestinal health, metabolic balance, interactions with the gut-associated lymphoid system, suppression of pathogens, and digestion of complex substrates including non-starch polysaccharides, all of which contribute to the overall production traits. Probiotics can enhance the production traits of growing animals like chickens and pigs, leading to gains in weight and increased feed conversion efficiency for meat and egg production.

The first few weeks after birth are essential in establishing the gastrointestinal microflora and other factors that affect young animals and birds in subsequent life stages. Probiotics enhance the stability of the intestinal microbiota and prevent the onset of many diseases, such as coccidiosis and diarrhea. For instance, the addition of Bacillus subtilis has been shown to improve the production performance and meat quality of broilers, as well as the production performance in poultry afflicted by necrotizing enteritis. Probiotics not only stabilize the intestinal microbiota but also stimulate the immune system and improve the antioxidant state in ruminant animals. It synthesizes antimicrobial peptides in the intestine, boosting production performance. Probiotics such as Enterococcus faecium have been shown to curb the number of Salmonella and increase weight gain and the yield of breast muscles in broilers.

Probiotic's Role in Ruminant Production Performance

In ruminants, probiotics have a significant impact on the voluntary intake of feed dry matter. As optimizing dry matter intake and digestibility is vital for nutrient provision necessary for animal growth and meat and milk production, the use of probiotics becomes essential. For instance, when dairy cows were fed with Enterococcus and yeast, their dry matter intake was elevated.

Moreover, probiotics improve the digestion of carbohydrates in the feed, such as neutral detergent fiber, which is integral for animal nourishment. It aids in the microbial population's conversion for fiber divulsion, thereby improving fiber digestion. Moreover, adding Staphylococcus cerevisiae to cows' diets increases milk production and the nutritional quality of milk while improving fiber digestion. Likewise, Holstein cows show better milk production performance when fed a combination of yeast culture and propionic acid bacteria.

Probiotics illustrate a promising avenue in animal nutrition, especially in enhancing the production performance in both ruminants and non-ruminants. From improving feed conversion efficiency, boosting weight gain, enhancing immune response to preventing various diseases, the benefits of probiotics in animal feed are ample. As such, probiotic supplementation has the potential to revolutionize animal production, contributing to the sector's economic viability and sustainability.

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For Research Use Only. Not intended for use in food manufacturing or medical procedures (diagnostics or therapeutics). Do Not Use in Humans.