Effects of Clostridium butyricum and Lactobacillus plantarum on growth performance, immune function and volatile fatty acid level of caecal digesta in broilers

Figures & data

Table 1. Ingredients and nutrient composition of the basal diet (g/kg diet as fed basis).

I gredient	Composition
	Starter (days 1–21)	Finisher (days 22–42)
Corn	557.50	571.10
Soybean meal	367.50	350.00
Soybean oil	29.60	41.70
Dicalcium phosphate	18.60	14.20
limestone	12.50	14.00
Salt	3.00	3.00
Choline chloride (50%)	2.60	2.00
Minerals premix^a	2.00	2.00
Vitamin premix^b	0.20	0.20
L-Methionine	2.87	0.10
L-Lysine HCl	3.09	1.20
L-Threonine	0.54	0.50
Total	1000	1000
Calculated chemical composition (g/kg diet as fed basis)
ME (MJ/kg)	12.14	12.92
Crude protein	22.10	20.700
Calcium	1.09	1.01
Total Phosphorus	0.65	0.65
Lysine	1.20	1.11
Methionine	0.55	0.39

^aVitamin premix provided the following per kilogram of diet; vitamin A, 9500 IU; vitamin D₃, 62.50 μg; vitamin K₃, 2.65 mg; vitamin B₁₂, 0.025 mg; vitamin B₂, 6 mg; vitamin E, 30 IU; biotin, 0.0325 mg; folic acid, 1.25 mg; pantothenic acid, 12 mg; nicotinic acid, 50 mg.

^bThe mineral premix provided the following per kg of diet: Cu, 8 mg; Zn, 75 mg; Fe, 80 mg; Mn, 100 mg; Se, 0.15 mg; I, 0.35 mg.

Table 2. Effects of C. butyricum and microencapsulated L. plantarum on growth performance in broiler.

Items	CON	CB	MLP	MIX	ANT	P-value
Days 1–21
ADFI (g/d)	45.04 ± 0.71	45.69 ± 0.44	44.51 ± 0.97	46.38 ± 0.66	44.81 ± 0.70	0.392
ADG (g/d)	33.5 ± 0.57	33.61 ± 0.32	33.11 ± 0.83	34.08 ± 0.63	34.59 ± 0.75	0.557
Feed conversion ratio (g/g)	1.37 ± 0.03b	1.36 ± 0.01b	1.37 ± 0.01b	1.36 ± 0.01b	1.30 ± 0.02a	0.027
Days 22–42
ADFI (g/d)	122.81 ± 1.57	125.34 ± 3.51	125.14 ± 3.48	132.9 ± 7.05	123.82 ± 3.06	0.436
ADG (g/d)	69.09 ± 1.91	71.24 ± 2.62	70.73 ± 0.94	72.06 ± 4.52	70.16 ± 1.63	0.904
FCR (g/g)	1.82 ± 0.04	1.76 ± 0.04	1.75 ± 0.04	1.8 ± 0.01	1.75 ± 0.02	0.25

Notes: Means within a row with different letters differ significantly (P < .05). CON = a basal diet; CB = a basal diet + C. butyricum; MLP = a basal diet + microencapsulated L. plantarum; MIX = a basal diet + C. butyricum + microencapsulated L. plantarum. ANT = a basal diet + Aureomycin.

Table 3. Effects of C. butyricum and microencapsulated L. plantarum on inmunoglobulins in broilers.

Items	CON	CB	MLP	MIX	ANT	P-values
21d
IgA (μg/ml)	50.11 ± 2.06	55.69 ± 1.92	53.20 ± 1.76	53.40 ± 1.85	52.65 ± 2.38	0.555
IgM (mg/ml)	1.75 ± 0.16a	2.50 ± 0.08b	1.79 ± 0.07a	2.11 ± 0.19ab	2.03 ± 0.29ab	0.039
IgG (mg/ml)	1.00 ± 0.16	1.10 ± 0.29	1.28 ± 0.10	1.07 ± 0.13	1.01 ± 0.11	0.664
42d
IgA (μg/ml) IgM (mg/ml) IgG (mg/ml)	68.38 ± 2.31	69.49 ± 2.94	68.65 ± 1.55	69.22 ± 1.50	67.55 ± 3.34	0.981
	1.71 ± 0.62	2.45 ± 1.17	1.86 ± 0.17	2.10 ± 0.43	2.35 ± 0.62	0.868
	1.09 ± 0.20	1.27 ± 0.33	1.25 ± 0.29	1.30 ± 0.58	1.07 ± 0.27	0.979

Notes: Means within a row with different letters differ significantly (P < .05). CON = a basal diet; CB = a basal diet + C. butyricum; MLP = a basal diet + microencapsulated L. plantarum; MIX = a basal diet + C. butyricum + microencapsulated L. plantarum. ANT = a basal diet + Aureomycin.

Table 4. Effect of C. butyricum and microencapsulated L. plantarum on jejunum morphology in broilers.

Items	Age (days)	CON	CB	MLP	MIX	ANT	P-values
Villus height (mm)	21	0.81 ± 0.03	0.93 ± 0.06	0.89 ± 0.05	0.90 ± 0.10	0.85 ± 0.07	0.588
	42	1.09 ± 0.11	1.18 ± 0.10	1.26 ± 0.06	1.12 ± 0.06	1.21 ± 0.12	0.695
Crypt depth (μm)	21	98.90 ± 2.92	89.10 ± 4.38	95.80 ± 7.39	92.20 ± 9.24	85.10 ± 3.80	0.567
	42	183.87 ± 14.25b	136.88 ± 19.78a	163.65 ± 10.53ab	144.33 ± 6.76ab	124.75 ± 11.62a	0.047
Villus height/crypt depth	21	7.91 ± 0.45	8.25 ± 0.59	7.46 ± 0.31	8.09 ± 0.65	8.91 ± 0.36	0.323
	42	6.19 ± 0.48a	9.16 ± 0.48b	6.36 ± 0.36a	7.63 ± 0.59ab	6.99 ± 0.93a	0.037

Notes: Means within a row with different letters differ significantly (P < .05). CON = a basal diet; CB = a basal diet + C. butyricum; MLP = a basal diet + microencapsulated L. plantarum; MIX = a basal diet + C. butyricum + microencapsulated L. plantarum. ANT = a basal diet + Aureomycin.

Table 5. Effect of C. butyricum and microencapsulated L. plantarum on short chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentrations in cecum digesta (mg/kg of wet ileal digesta).

Parameter (mM)	Age (days)	Dietary treatments					P-values
		CON	CB	MLP	MIX	ANT
Acetic (μg/μL)	21	4.06 ± 0.33a	5.17 ± 0.28b	5.37 ± 0.43b	5.09 ± 0.13b	4.73 ± 0.10ab	.033
	42	4.52 ± 0.32	5.03 ± 0. 29	5.15 ± 0.20	4.58 ± 0.40	5.17 ± 0.59	.481
Propionic (μg/μL)	21	0.79 ± 0.04	0.91 ± 0.04	0. 90 ± 0.05	0.87 ± 0.05	0.78 ± 0.03	.119
	42	1.06 ± 0.04a	1.23 ± 0.09ab	1.45 ± 0.10b	1.27 ± 0.14ab	1.09 ± 0.07b	.047
Butyrate (μg/μl)	21	1.81 ± 0.31	2.15 ± 0.13	2.08 ± 0.22	2.24 ± 0.11	2.18 ± 0.21	.666
	42	1.08 ± 0.14	1.24 ± 0.12	1.29 ± 0.22	1.13 ± 0.23	1.25 ± 0.16	.905
Valerate (ng/μL)	21	133.70 ± 10.24a	133.33 ± 2.29a	160.32 ± 5.18b	156.92 ± 6.51b	139.00 ± 9.05ab	.032
	42	127.98 ± 8.70	158.81 ± 9.83	156.29 ± 14.79	132.13 ± 19.76	129.57 ± 10.07	.244
Total (μg/μL)	21	7.80 ± 0.73	8.18 ± 0.36	9.20 ± 0.36	8.64 ± 0.23	7.74 ± 0.23	.057
	42	7.85 ± 0.60	8.36 ± 0.63	8.44 ± 0.36	8.19 ± 1.19	8.30 ± 0.84	.966

Notes: Means within a row with different letters differ significantly (P < .05). CON = a basal diet; CB = a basal diet + C. butyricum; MLP = a basal diet + microencapsulated L. plantarum; MIX = a basal diet + C. butyricum + microencapsulated L. plantarum. ANT = a basal diet + Aureomycin.