This study was conducted to investigate the effects of feeding fermented mulberry leaf powder (FMLP) on growth performance, slaughter performance, and meat quality of broilers. A total of 360 1-day-old chickens were randomly divided into 5 groups. The control group was fed basal diet (CON), 3% FMLP, 6% FMLP, 9% FMLP, and 3% unfermented mulberry leaf powder. The (MLP) group was fed basal diet supplemented with 3%, 6%, 9% fermented mulberry leaf powder, and 3% MLP, respectively. The experiment lasted for 56 days, with 1–28 days as the starter phase and 29–56 days as the grower phase. The results on the growth performance showed that diets supplemented with 3% FMLP significantly increased the ratio of villus height to crypt depth in the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum of broilers, enhanced the activity of intestinal amylase and digestibility of dry matter and crude protein, improved the average daily gain (ADG), and decreased the feed to gain ratio (F/G) (p < 0.05). Compared with the control group diet, the 3% FMLP group diet significantly increased the breast muscle yield (p < 0.05), reduced the abdominal fat ratio (0.1 < p < 0.05), and improved the slaughter performance of broilers. The 3% MLP group diet increased the shear force of breast muscle (p < 0.05) and thigh muscle of broilers compared to the control group, and adding FMLP could reverse the above results. Additionally, relative to the control group, FMLP supplementation improved the contents of inosine monophosphate (IMP), total amino acids (TAA), essential amino acids (EAA), and delicious amino acids (DAA) in breast and thigh muscle, and improved polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and essential fatty acids (EFA) in breast muscle; the 6% and 9% FMLP groups showed preferably such effects (p < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary supplementation of FMLP can improve the digestion and absorption of nutrients, and then improve the growth performance of broilers; it also has a positive effect on improving slaughter performance and meat quality.

This experiment was conducted to investigate the antibacterial effects of essential oils (EO) in vitro and the influence of EO on growth performance, intestinal morphology and oxidation resistance and cecal microflora of yellow-feathered broilers. A total of 720 one-day-old male yellow feather broilers were randomly assigned into 4 treatments with 6 replicate cages of 30 broilers each. The groups were as follows: CON group (basal diet), EO200 group (basal diet + 200 mg/kg EO), EO400 group (basal diet + 400 mg/kg EO), and EO600 group (basal diet + 600 mg/kg EO). The experiment lasted for 48 d. Results showed that the growth and biofilm formation of avian pathogenic E. coli O78 and Salmonella pullorum were limited by adding EO to the diet (P < 0.05). Besides, birds fed with EO had greater (P < 0.05) average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG), and body weight (BW) during d 1 to 21, 22 to 42, and 1 to 48 and lower (P < 0.05) feed: gain (F:G) than those fed with basal diet during d 22 to 42 and 1 to 48. Moreover, the activity of antioxidant enzyme and the intestinal permeability were improved in the EO400 and EO600 groups rather than the CON group on d 21 (P < 0.05). There were significant differences in cecal microbial composition and enrichment of metabolic pathways of birds among all groups by 16S-based sequencing. In summary, some dose of EO improved bacteriostatic ability, antioxidant ability, and intestinal health of broilers which contributed to the growth performance improvement of yellow-feathered broilers, which can be a promising antibiotic alternative for improving poultry production.

Although the fertilized eggs were found to contain microbes in early studies, the detailed composition of yolk microbiota and its influence on embryo intestinal microbiota have not been satisfactorily examined yet. In this study, the yolk microbiota was explored by using 16s rRNA sequencing at different developmental stages of the broiler embryo. The results showed that the relative abundance of yolk microbiota was barely changed during embryogenesis. According to the KEGG analysis, the yolk microbiota were functionally related to amino acid, carbohydrate, and lipid metabolisms during chicken embryogenesis. The yolk microbiota influences the embryonic intestinal microbiota through increasing the colonization of Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes in the intestine, particularly. The intestinal microbes of neonatal chicks showed higher proportions of Faecalibacterium, Blautia, Coprococcus, Dorea, and Roseburia compared to the embryonic intestinal microbiota. Our findings might give a better understanding of the composition and developmental change of yolk microbiota and its roles in shaping the intestinal microbiota.

Protein fermentation has an adverse effect on colonic health; high-quality proteins and reducing the protein level (protein restriction) can effectively decrease the amount of proteins flowing into the colon for microbial protein fermentation. The study is aimed at determining the effects of different protein sources on colonic microbial composition and barrier function in nursery pigs with a low protein diet. A total of 264 weaned pigs were randomly divided into 4 dietary groups and each group had 6 pens with 11 pigs. Four low protein, amino acid (AA)-supplemented diets containing either 4% Palbio 50 RD (P50), Soyppt-50% (S50), concentrated degossypolized cottonseed protein (CDCP), or fish meal (FM) were prepared, and all the diets had similar digestible energy (DE), crude protein content (CP, about 18%), and equal amount of standardized ileal digestible (SID) lysine, methionine, tryptophan, and threonine. After 28 days of feeding trial, CDCP decreased the Desulfovibrio abundance but increased the Parabacteroides abundance. S50 elevated the Bacteroides and CF231 abundance. P50 and FM reduced the Clostridium and Ruminococcus abundance. CDCP upregulated the Occludin mRNA expression and tended to increase the amount of mixed neutral-acidic mucins in the colon. FM and CDCP declined the serum DAO and endotoxin contents. S50 and CDCP decreased the levels of serum IL-1α, and P50 lowered the serum IL-8 content. We concluded that plant protein (CDCP and S50) had advantages over animal protein (P50 and FM) in maintaining the colonic health via the regulation of colonic microbiota and barrier function.

Dietary protein sources have the potential to affect the colon microbiome of piglets that will subsequently have a large impact on metabolic capabilities and hindgut health. This study explored the effects of different protein sources on the growth performance, diarrhea rate, apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of crude protein (CP), colonic mucin chemotypes, colonic microbiome, and microbial metabolites of piglets. Twenty-four piglets were randomly divided into four groups that received isoenergetic and isonitrogenous diets containing either Palbio 50 RD (P50), Soyppt-50% (S50), concentrated degossypolized cottonseed protein (CDCP), or fish meal (FM) as the sole protein source. The experimental diets did not affect the estimated daily gain (EDG), but P50 increased fecal score compared with S50 and CDCP. CDCP increased, but P50 reduced AID of CP in comparison to FM and S50. S50 and CDCP increased the amount of mixed neutral-acidic mucins relative to P50. Venn analysis identified unique OTUs in the P50 (13), CDCP (74), FM (39), and S50 (31) groups. The protein sources did not change the colonic bacterial richness or diversity. High Escherichia abundance in the P50 and FM, great abundant of Lactobacillus in the CDCP, and high Gemmiger abundance in the S50 were found. The CDCP tended to elevate valeric acid and branched chain fatty acid (BCFA) concentrations compared with the other diets. The P50 and FM groups had greater ammonia nitrogen and methylamine contents than the S50 and CDCP groups. There was a positive correlation between the Escherichia and ammonia nitrogen, the Lactobacillus and short chain fatty acid (SCFA), and a negative correlation between the Gemmige and BCFA. These findings suggested short-term feeding of different protein sources did not affect the piglets' growth, but P50 increased the diarrhea rate. Potential pathogenic bacteria and detrimental metabolites appeared in the colons of piglets fed P50 and FM, whereas, beneficial effects were conferred upon piglets fed CDCP and S50, thus indicating that available plant proteins (cotton seed, soy) added to the diets of piglets enhanced colon health by reducing protein fermentation.

Eimeria tenella (E. tenella) infection is a major cause of coccidiosis in chickens, leading to significant economic losses in the poultry industry due to its impact on the cecum. This study presents a comprehensive single-cell atlas of the chicken cecal epithelium by generating 7,394 cells using 10X Genomics single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). We identified 13 distinct cell types, including key immune and epithelial populations, and characterized their gene expression profiles and cell–cell communication networks. Integration of this single-cell data with bulk RNA-seq data from E. tenella-infected chickens revealed significant alterations in cell type composition and state, particularly a marked decrease in APOB+ enterocytes and an increase in cycling T cells during infection. Trajectory analysis of APOB+ enterocytes uncovered shifts toward cellular states associated with cell death and a reduction in those linked to mitochondrial and cytoplasmic protection when infected with E. tenella. These findings highlight the substantial impact of E. tenella on epithelial integrity and immune responses, emphasizing the parasite’s role in disrupting nutrient absorption and energy metabolism. Our single-cell atlas serves as a critical resource for understanding the cellular architecture of the chicken cecum and provides a valuable framework for future investigations into cecal diseases and metabolic functions, with potential applications in enhancing poultry health and productivity.