April 16, 2015

Lallemand presents studies on poultry probiotics

Lallemand Animal Nutrition participated in the 11th Poultry Research Days ("Journées de la Recherche Avicole et Palmipèdes à Foie Gras") in Tours, France, as a sponsor and scientific contributor.

The first study [Guillou David, Mulsant Caroline, Sacy Audrey, Roffidal Lucien. Quantitative recovery of probiotic bacteria (Pediococcus acidilactici) in the gut segments of laying hens. Oral communication at the 11th JRA-JRPG, March 25-26 2015, Tours, France] presented was conducted by Lallemand's R&D team in partnership with leading premixer INZO°.

The originality of this study was to look beyond probiotic efficiency at their mechanisms of action inside the gut. The aim of the trial was to study the live bacteria Pediococcus acidilactici MA 18/5 (BACTOCELL^®) along the intestinal tract of laying hens. Increasing doses of the probiotic were administered to laying hens. Numeration of the live bacteria was performed in the various compartments of the digestive tract at different time points.

First of all, the study confirmed that BACTOCELL is able to survive through the gastro-intestinal tract but does not colonize the gut. The bacteria was found alive along the digestive tract but only during the period of supplementation.

Secondly, there is a dose response effect with BACTOCELL^® in the absence of stress factor. The live bacteria were found in proportion to the inclusion rate in the various parts of the digestive tract. However, this dose response tended to saturate above the commercial dose (1.106 UFC/g), but only in the caeca.

The second study [Delpont Mattias, Garet Jean, Gautier Xavier, Le Treut Yannig, Demey Vanessa, Sacy Audrey. Effect of a live yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae boulardii on the incidence of cellulitis in broiler chickens. Poster presentation 11th JRA-JRPG, March 25-26 2015, Tours, France] was conducted in partnership with Toulouse Vet School and feed company Huttepain. It looked at the benefits of probiotic yeast supplementation on the incidence of cellulitis in broiler chickens.

In recent years, cellulitis has emerged as a major skin disease in poultry. Condemnation of broiler carcass due to cellulitis represents a growing financial burden for the industry (e.g. in the US, cellulitis is the second cause of partial condemnation of chicken carcasses).

The study presented indicated that the addition of live yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae boulardii I-1079) to the feed of broiler chickens is beneficial to reducing the incidence of cellulitis, especially under at-risk conditions.