Wheat as a kind of diet material can be used for broiler production. However, due to non‐starch polysaccharides in wheat, wheat may lead to lower growth performance and worth health. To reverse the negative effect, solid‐state fermentation pro‐enzymes were added. In this experiment, growth performance, intestinal health‐related genes, short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and intestinal microbiota were detected to find the effects of wheat meal and combined with enzymes on broiler chickens from 15 to 42 days of age. A total of 432 1‐day‐old Arbor Acres broiler chickens were fed corn‐based diet (CD) for 14 days as the preparation stage of the experiment. Then, they were randomly divided into three groups and fed three different kinds of diets which were corn‐based diet (CD group), wheat‐based diet (WD group), and SFP enzymes supplementation in WD (Enzymes+Wheat‐based diet group). The results showed that compared with broilers in CD group, broilers in WD group had lower weight gain and higher Feed conversion ratio ( p < 0.05) during the whole experimental period especially from day 15 to day 21, but there was no significant effect on feed intake ( p > 0.05). Moreover, SFP enzymes decreased the spleen index ( p < 0.05). Wheat also had trends to decrease the expression of ZO‐1 ( p = 0.096) and increase the concentrations of acetate ( p < 0.05), butyrate ( p < 0.05) and total SCFAs ( p < 0.05), in which SFP enzymes caused the opposite results except for butyrate, and SFP enzymes even increased the expression of ZO‐1 ( p < 0.001) and OCCLUDIN ( p = 0.075) and decreased the expression of TNF‐α ( p < 0.01). Meanwhile, wheat enhanced the abundances of Barnesiella and Bifidobacterium ( p < 0.05) and inhibited the abundances of Flavonifractor , Sellimonas , Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group , Subdoligranulum , and Ruminococcus_gauvreauii_group ( p < 0.05), and SFP enzymes could reverse the negative effects, and the changes in microbiota could explain the other different parameters. Collectively, wheat results in inflammation and worse growth performance, but SFP enzymes supplementation in WD benefits chickens' growth performance by improving intestinal barrier function, decreasing inflammation, modulating cecal microbiota and SCFAs production.

The Jinhua pig is well known in China due to its delicious meat. However, because of large litter size, low birth weight always happens. This experiment used this breed as a model to research bacterial evidence leading to growth restriction and provide a possible solution linked to probiotics. In this experiment, the differences in organs indexes, colonic morphology, short chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentrations, microbiome, and transcriptome were detected between piglets in the standard-birth-weight group (SG) and low-birth-weight group (LG) to find potential evidence leading to low birth weight. We found that LG piglets had a lower liver index (p < 0.05), deeper colonic crypt depth (p < 0.05), fewer goblet cells (p < 0.05), and more inflammatory factor infiltration. In addition, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were mainly enriched in B-cell immunity and glucose metabolism, and LG piglets had lower concentrations of SCFAs, especially butyrate and isobutyrate (p < 0.05). Finally, most of the significantly differentially abundant microbes were fewer in LG piglets, which affected DEG expressions and SCFA concentrations further resulting in worse energy metabolism and immunity. In conclusion, colonic disrupted microbiota may cause worse glucose metabolism, immunity, and SCFA production in LG piglets, and beneficial microbes colonized in SG piglets may benefit these harmful changes.

Cortisol is a key glucocorticoid hormone involved in the physiological stress response of animals. Its secretion, largely regulated by the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, is essential for animal welfare and growth. Recent studies have shown that this stress-regulatory system operates in coordination with the gut microbiota, communicating with the brain through the gut–brain axis. Given that the diet can modulate microbial composition, dietary interventions thus offer potential in modulating HPA activity. Inulin is a prebiotic that promotes beneficial gut microbiota such as Lactobacilli and enhances intestinal health. Microbial fermentation exerts anti-inflammatory effects and strengthens the gut barrier through short-chain fatty acids, potentially influencing stress physiology via the gut–brain axis. In this study, we focused on the effects of inulin on cortisol in saliva and hair samples of pigs as indicators of acute and chronic stress responses, respectively. Animals were housed at low or high density and received inulin supplementation or none. Mixing at weaning and at the start of fattening was used as an acute social stressor. Saliva samples were collected from three pens per experimental group, from 84 animals before and after animal mixing. Due to contamination, only 153 samples were retained for analysis. Hair samples were collected from 48 animals at the end of the post-weaning phase and 5 weeks into the fattening phase. Due to insufficient hair material, only 53 samples were suitable for analysis. Cortisol quantification was done by ELISA. Data were analyzed using a four parameter logistic calibration curve, and linear mixed-effects models were performed on the obtained results to verify significance. Inulin reduced basal salivary cortisol levels before the second animal mixing (P < 0.05) but pre- and postmixing cortisol levels did not differ significantly at either phase, nor did cortisol elevation differ between groups. For chronic stress, a significant interaction between animal density and diet was observed at the end of the post-weaning period (P < 0.05), where inulin mitigated the effect of high density. Overall, environmental and dietary factors jointly influenced stress responses. To conclude, beyond its well-established benefits for intestinal health, inulin may serve as a promising dietary strategy to enhance animal welfare by modulating circulating cortisol levels and mitigating stress responses in pigs.