A Comparison Study of the Caecum Microbial Profiles, Productivity and Production Quality of Broiler Chickens Fed Supplements Based on Medium Chain Fatty and Organic Acids

Agila Dauksiene; Modestas Ruzauskas; Romas Gruzauskas; Paulina Zavistanaviciute; Vytaute Starkute; Vita Lele; Dovile Klupsaite; Jolita Klementaviciute; Elena Bartkiene

doi:10.3390/ani11030610

A Comparison Study of the Caecum Microbial Profiles, Productivity and Production Quality of Broiler Chickens Fed Supplements Based on Medium Chain Fatty and Organic Acids

Animals (Basel). 2021 Feb 26;11(3):610. doi: 10.3390/ani11030610.

Authors

Agila Dauksiene^{1

2}, Modestas Ruzauskas^{2

3}, Romas Gruzauskas⁴, Paulina Zavistanaviciute^{1

5}, Vytaute Starkute^{1

5}, Vita Lele^{1

5}, Dovile Klupsaite¹, Jolita Klementaviciute¹, Elena Bartkiene^{1

5}

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Animal Rearing Technologies, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilzes str. 18, LT-47181 Kaunas, Lithuania.
² Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilzes str. 18, LT-47181 Kaunas, Lithuania.
³ Microbiology and Virology Institute, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilzes str. 18, LT-47181 Kaunas, Lithuania.
⁴ Department of Food Sciences and Technology, Kaunas University of Technology, Radvilenu str. 19, LT-50254 Kaunas, Lithuania.
⁵ Department of Food Safety and Quality, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilzes str. 18, LT-47181 Kaunas, Lithuania.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) and organic acids (OAs) supplements on the caecum microbial profiles, productivity and production quality characteristics of broiler chickens (BCs). BC (900 chicks) were attributed to three groups: (i) control; (ii) MCFAs group (BCs fed with feed supplemented with MCFAs); (iii) OAs group (BCs fed with feed supplemented with OAs). Broilers were slaughtered at the end of the trial (42 days old), and the caecum microbial profiles, productivity and production quality characteristics were analysed. Supplementation with OAs resulted in a more appropriate environment in the caecum for beneficial microorganisms than with a diet supplemented with MCFAs. This was supported by data on the presence of higher amounts and an increased species variety of probiotic bacteria (Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium) in the caecum of birds. The above-mentioned changes of the caecum microbiota led to significantly higher villus height (p = 0.003) of the OAs broiler group and significantly lower crypt depth (p = 0.037). Notwithstanding the significant increase of acetic, propionic, isobutyric, butyric, isovaleric, and valeric acids that were established in caecum samples from the MCFAs group, better parameters of broiler production performance (higher body weight and lower mortality) and carcass traits (higher both thigh and shin muscles with skin and bone weight; both shin muscles without skin and bone weight; abdominal fat yield) were found in the OAs-treated group. For chemical, physical and technological characteristics of breast meat samples, increased yellowness and water holding capacity by 14.7% and 2.3%, respectively, were found in MCFAs group samples. A more appropriate environment in the caecum for beneficial microorganisms could be obtained when BCs were fed with OAs supplement, comparing to MCFAs, and these positive changes were associated with higher efficiency of poultry production.

Keywords: caecum microbial profiles; microbiome; poultry; production quality; productivity characteristics.