The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of dietary prebiotic fructooligosaccharides (FOS) from inulin and Enterococcus faecium on nutrient digestibility, fecal pH, and some blood parameters. In this experiment, twelve adult Kurdish horses with average bogy weight of 416 ± 43.3 kg and age averaging 6 ± 1.8 year were used in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin Square experiment with a 2 × 2 factorial design during 4 periods of 28 days, including 21 days for dietary adaptation and 7 days for sampling. Horses were offered 1 of 4 treatments: (1) no FOS or 2.5 × 1011 colony forming units (CFU) of Enterococcus faecium supplementation (Con), (2) 10 g of FOS without Enterococcus faecium supplementation (Pre), (3) 10 g of Enterococcus faecium without FOS supplementation (Pro), and (4) 10 g of FOS plus 10 g of Enterococcus faecium supplementation (Mix). Results showed that fecal pH decreased in horses fed Pre or Pro treatments compared with those not supplemented (P < .05). Also, triglyceride and cholesterol decreased when Pre was added to the diets (P < .05). The concentration of triglyceride and cholesterol decreased in horses fed the Mix and Pro diets. Pre × Pro supplementation interactions were significant for high-density lipoprotein (HDL) concentration and tended to be significant for low-density lipoprotein (LDL) concentration, and horses fed the Mix treatment had the greatest and the lowest concentration of HDL and LDL, respectively (P < .01). The IgM concentration was greater in horses fed Pre or Pro compared with those not supplemented (P < .05). The treatments had no effect on IgA, IgG or liver enzymes concentration. Moreover, results indicated that FOS and Enterococcus faecium adding may interact to affect blood parameters, but did not affect nutrient digestibility under our experimental conditions, therefore further researches with higher supplementary doses are warranted.
Keywords: Digestibility; Enterococcus faecium; Fructooligosaccharides; Horse.
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