This study aimed to evaluate the effects of yeast culture (YC) supplementation on growth performance, dietary nutrient digestibility, ruminal fermentation characteristics, methane (CH₄) synthesis potential, ruminal bacterial composition, antioxidant and immune capacities in beef cattle. Thirty-six finishing Simmental beef cattle were employed for this experiment. The experiment included three dietary treatments: the basal diet (CON), the basal diet supplemented with Diamon V XP (XP; 50 g/day per cattle), and the basal diet supplemented with Keliben (KLB; 50 g/day per cattle). Various metabolites, such as acetophenone (12.7%), ascorbic acid (10.3%), citric acid (7.25%), D-(+)-proline (6.42%), succinic acid (5.70%), betaine (5.65%) and DL-malic acid (2.62%) were abundant in XP; and ascorbic acid (14.0%), oleamide (9.23%), citric acid (6.03%), betaine (5.88%), succinic acid (4.42%), indole-3-acrylic acid (2.85%) and DL-malic acid (1.73%) were abundant in KLB. Supplementing YC to the cattle increased the apparent total-tract digestibility of DM, OM, NDF and ADF, and tended to increase average daily gain. The supplementation of YC to the cattle had no effect on the rumen fermentation pathway as reflected by the unaltered molar percentage of acetate or propionate. The supplementation of XP decreased the concentration of rumen dissolved CH₄, although no effect on the concentration of dissolved hydrogen was observed. The supplementation of KLB to the cattle increased Paraprevotella relative abundance, while the supplementation of XP decreased Euryarchaeota relative abundance in the rumen. Supplementing XP to the cattle increased serum GSH-Px, catalase and T-AOC concentrations, and was accompanied by decreased MAD concentration, indicating improved antioxidant capacity. Supplementing XP to the cattle increased the concentrations of serum IgA, IgG, IL-2, IL-10, IFN-γ and C4, compared with the CON group, and the KLB group had higher concentrations of serum IgA, IgG, IgM, IL-10, IFN-γ, C3 and C4 compared with the CON and XP groups, which revealed that both XP and KLB can improve the immune function, and that KLB showed a stronger effect. Overall, the supplementation of YC is beneficial to the nutrient digestibility, growth performance and health of beef cattle. Furthermore, XP was more effective than KLB in improving antioxidant capacity and reducing CH₄ production, while KLB was more effective in improving the immune capacity of beef cattle than XP.

Artemisia annua residue (ARR) is a pharmaceutical by-product produced after the extraction of artemisinin; it is rich in protein, crude fat, vitamins, trace elements, and bioactive compounds and contains negligible anti-nutritional factors. The present study aimed to optimize the fermentation conditions of ARR, evaluate the compound and microbial compositions of fermented AAR, and explore its effects on the production performance of laying hens. A total of 288 Xinyang black-feather laying hens were randomly allocated into four treatments for 30 days, including a control group (basal diet) and a basal diet supplemented with 1%, 2%, and 4% fermented AAR, respectively. The results showed that the optimized fermentation conditions of AAR were 80% moisture content, 3% inoculation quantity, 34 °C fermentation for 6 days, initial pH at 8, and 60 mesh (sieving). The compounds of 2-furyl-5-methyl furan, deoxyartemisinin, phytol, n-hexadecanoic acid, aromandendrene, and calarene had higher contents (average 6.86%) in the fermented AAR. The bacteria of Proteobacteria and Firmicutes (average 45.18%) were the most abundant phyla, and Acinetobacter, Bacillus, and Brevundimonas (average 15.87%) were the most abundant genera in the fermented AAR. The fungi of Phragmoplastophyta, Vertebrata, and Ascomycota (average 30.13%) were the most abundant phyla, and Magnoliophyta, Mammalia, Wickerhamomyces-Candida_clade, and Aspergillus were the most abundant genera (average 21.12%) in the fermented AAR. Furthermore, dietary supplementation of fermented AAR increased the average daily feed intake (ADFI), egg weight, and albumen height. Dietary supplementation of 2% and 4% fermented AAR increased the laying rate, while 2% fermented AAR increased the Haugh unit and decreased the feed-to-egg ratio. Collectively, it is concluded that fermented AAR has the potential to become a phytogenic feed additive, and dietary supplementation of 2% fermented AAR had better effects on the production performance of laying hens.

The present study evaluated the nutritional values and in vitro fermentation characteristics of 29 different Chinese herbs in order to develop effective feed additives for livestock nutrition. The Chinese herbs were analyzed for their chemical composition. The in vitro fermentation characteristics were evaluated using the gas production technique with swine cecal chyme inoculum. The results showed that the Allium tuberosum Rottl (Semen allii tuberosi, SAT) had the highest gross energy (GE), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), and total amino acid (TAA) contents, whereas Anemones raddeanae Rhizoma (Agstache rugosus, AR) had the highest crude fiber, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent fiber contents compared with the other Chinese herbs. The Rhus chinensis Mill (Chinese gall, CG), Scrophularia ningpoensis Hemsl (Radix scrophulariae, RS), Punica granatum L (Punica granatum L, PGL), Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz (White atractylodes rhizome, WAR), Sanguisorbae radix (Garden burnet, GB), Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bunge (Rhizoma anemarrhenaw, RA), and Rhei radix Et Rhizoma (Rheum officinale, RO) had a higher non-fiber carbohydrate content than the other Chinese herbs. The in vitro fermentation kinetic analysis showed that the RS, WAR, and RA had a higher gas production, a theoretical gas production, and a fractional rate of gas production than the other groups. Furthermore, the RA, WAR, RS, and Crataegi fructus (Crataegus pinnatifida Bun, CPB) had a higher total short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) concentration, and CPB had the highest acetate concentration, whereas the WAR and RS had higher propionate and butyrate concentrations than the other groups. Moreover, the Isatis indigotica Fort (Folium isatidis, FI) and SAT had higher ammonia-N concentration than the other groups. In summary, among the 29 different Chinese herbs, the SAT had the highest nutritional value, which is reflected in the highest contents of GE, CP, EE, and TAA, whereas the RA, WAR, and RS showed better intestinal fermentation profiles, which is reflected in the higher fermentation degree and suitable SCFAs fermentation pattern. These findings provide a theoretical basis for using Chinese herbs as feed additives or microbial carbon sources in the intestines of animals.

Mao-tai lees (ML) is a by-product produced in the process of Mao-tai liquor production and contains high levels of crude protein, starch and fiber, and large yield. Thus, the ML has the potential to become feedstuffs alternatives in livestock production. The present study evaluated the nutritional values of ML and fermented ML (FML), including the first stage (FML I; microbial fermentation), the second stage (FMTL II; microbial fermentation), and the final stage (FFML; microbial fermentation with proteases), and explored their effects on in vitro intestinal fermentation. The results showed that the FFML had higher contents of acid detergent fiber, acid detergent lignin, crude fiber, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, starch, Vitamin B₂, B₆, and B₁₂, whereas the FML II presented higher contents of calcium, copper, iron, manganese, magnesium, and Vitamin B₁ compared with the other groups. Compared with the ML, the total free amino acids (FAAs) and total bioamine contents were higher in the FML II and FFML and had lower total hydrolyzed amino acids and total other free organic acids contents, among which the FFML had higher total FAAs and total bioamine contents. The FMLs had lower n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio compared with the ML; however, the FFML had lower n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio than the other groups. Furthermore, the FFML had higher concentrations of 1,7-diaminoheptane, isobutyrate, isovalerate, putrescine, and spermidine in vitro fermentation, suggesting that the FFML had greater proteolysis than the other groups. Collectively, these findings suggest that microbial fermentation with proteases could alter the nutritional composition and promote in vitro intestinal proteolysis of ML, which may be an effective way for promoting the protein utilization of ML. The study provides an effective potential strategy to develop novel feedstuff alternatives.

Strawberry pomace is a fruit processing by-product rich in fiber and bioactive compounds, making it a functional feed resource. This study evaluated the effects of fermented strawberry pomace (FSP) on laying performance, yolk fatty acid composition, ovarian function, intestinal barrier status, cecal microbiota, and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in laying hens. A total of 320 laying hens (345-day-old) were assigned to diets containing 0, 0.25, 0.5, or 1.0% FSP for 8 weeks. Supplementing 0.25% FSP increased albumen height and Haugh unit (p < 0.05). In addition, 1.0% FSP reduced yolk saturated fatty acids and thrombogenic index and increased the polyunsaturated-to-saturated fatty acid ratio (p < 0.05). Dietary FSP supplementation enhanced reproductive endocrine activity by increasing plasma and ovarian hormones, whereas 0.25% FSP upregulated HSD17B1 and LHCGR expressions (p < 0.05). Dietary 1.0% FSP upregulated ovarian Nrf2 and SOD1 expressions, whereas 0.5% FSP improved small-intestinal morphology and upregulated intestinal barrier-associated gene expressions, including Occludin, Cadherin 1, and Mucin 2 (p < 0.05). Moreover, 0.5% FSP increased cecal microbial richness, reshaped microbial composition, and 0.25–1.0% FSP supplementation increased the molar proportion of acetic acid but decreased absolute acetic acid and total SCFAs concentrations (p < 0.05). In summary, dietary FSP improved yolk lipid nutritional quality, particularly at 1.0% supplementation. FSP supplementation also affected reproductive endocrine activity, intestinal barrier-related status, and cecal microbial fermentation.

Corn, paddy, wheat, sorghum, and cassava serve as the primary energy sources in both human and animal diets. This study aimed to evaluate their nutrient release patterns in a simulated gastrointestinal environment and to assess the in vitro biological activity of the metabolites produced during digestion. The results showed that wheat exhibited the highest dry matter degradation in the stomach–jejunum–ileum digestion stage, while wheat and paddy showed the highest crude protein degradation compared with the other starch sources. In addition, wheat had a higher total free sugar concentration than paddy, sorghum, and cassava. Among the individual free sugars, such as D-sorbitol and D-(+)-trehalose, were found to have the highest concentrations in wheat, whereas cassava had the highest D(−)-fructose concentration. Several differential metabolites, including valeric acid, caproic acid, octanoic acid, and azelaic acid were highly released in paddy, whereas glucaric acid, threonic acid, phenylacetic acid, and shikimic acid were highly released in cassava, and 4-hydroxycinnamic acid was highly released in paddy and sorghum. Four unique metabolites were identified during the digestion process of five starch sources. Particularly, isocitric acid and trans-Cinnamic acid were released only from cassava; caffeic acid was released only from sorghum and corn; and pimelic acid was released only from paddy and wheat. Furthermore, cassava was distinct from the other starch sources, displaying a higher abundance of differential metabolites within the glucagon signaling pathway as mapped in KEGG pathway analysis. In summary, compared with other starch sources, wheat provides more dry matter, protein, and sugars for the body. Cassava is unlikely to offer any advantage in glycemic regulation, while paddy and cassava possess stronger biological activity in terms of differential metabolites.