Effect of dietary xylo-oligosaccharide on growth performance, intestinal histomorphology, and specific cecal bacteria in broiler chickens

Authors: YADAV, SUDHIR - University Of Georgia; SINGH, AMIT - University Of Georgia; SELVARAJ, RAMESH - University Of Georgia; APPLEGATE, TODD - University Of Georgia; BHATTACHARYA, PRIYANKA - Rayonier Advanced Materials; SHINALL, SUSAN - Rayonier Advanced Materials; FENN, LARISSA - Rayonier Advanced Materials; Shanmugasundaram, Revathi; KIM, WOO KYUN - University Of Georgia

Submitted to: Poultry Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/9/2023
Publication Date: 10/17/2023
Citation: Yadav, S., Singh, A.K., Selvaraj, R., Applegate, T., Bhattacharya, P., Shinall, S.B., Fenn, L., Shanmugasundaram, R., Kim, W. 2023. Effect of dietary xylo-oligosaccharide on growth performance, intestinal histomorphology, and specific cecal bacteria in broiler chickens. Poultry Science. 103189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2023.103189.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2023.103189

Interpretive Summary: The role of diets in the chicken production industry is crucial not only for the economic perspective of commercial farms but also for the health and well-being of the birds. Dietary interventions can impact the gastrointestinal tract's (GIT) development and physiological functions, as well as the gut microbiome load. Xylo-oligosaccharide (XOS) is well-known for its prebiotic characteristics that improve gut health parameters such as intestinal histology, immune response, and nutrient digestibility. Due to a lack of research on optimal inclusion levels of XOS in the chicken finished diet, the objective of this study was to identify the optimal inclusion levels of XOS in the poultry diet and their effect on chicken growth and gut parameters. The study showed that the addition of XOS up to 0.2% tended to improve gut histology with XOS supplementation, and the effects were more prominent when XOS was included in diets for extended periods. XOS served as a substrate for beneficial bacteria, such as Bifidobacterium, which showed a linear increase in abundance with higher levels of XOS inclusion. Furthermore, the presence of XOS likely contributed to the reduction of pathogenic bacteria like C. perfringens through competitive exclusion. This study suggests that further research should be needed to explore the effects of higher levels of XOS, such as 0.5%, over longer feeding periods and under typical commercial conditions to better understand its potential benefits on broiler growth, gut health, and the microbiome.

Technical Abstract: This study was conducted to evaluate the prebiotic effect of xylo-oligosaccharide (XOS) supplemented in a corn-SBM based conventional diet on growth performance, intestinal histomorphology, and quantification of specific bacteria in the ceca of broilers. A total of 240 day-old- Cobb 500 male broiler chicks were randomly assigned by body weight (BW) to 4 dietary treatments (corn-SBM based control diet) with XOS inclusion at 0, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.2% for 21 d. Each treatment had 6 replicate cages with 10 birds per cage. Weekly growth performance parameters were obtained, and, at the end of study, small intestinal tissues and whole ceca were collected. The results showed that inclusion of XOS has similar BW, BWG, FI, and FCR as control group during the 21-d study. Gut histology data showed that jejunum villus to crypt (VH: CD) ratio tended to increase for birds supplemented with 0.05 and 0.2% XOS (P = 0.08). Cecal bacteria quantification showed a linear increase in Bifidobacterium with increasing XOS (P < 0.0001). Also, XOS groups showed fewer Clostridium perfringens compared to birds fed the control diet (P < 0.0001). There were no differences in the total count of Lactobacillus and E. coli. Together these results showed that although there were no differences in growth parameters up to 21 d, the histomorphology results and increase in Bifidobacterium along with decrease in C. perfringens for XOS groups showed that XOS inclusion positively influenced gut health. Further studies with longer feeding periods and higher inclusion of XOS should be evaluated for additional positive effects on growth and gut health parameters.