Dietary Supplementation with Fermented Defatted Alperujo Induces Modifications of the Intestinal Mucosa and Cecal Microbiota of Broiler Chickens
Investigation article published in Poultry science
November 1st, 2020
Nutraceuticals are not only nutritionally beneficial for animals, but also their use as feed supplements may reduce environmental contamination. The effect of fermented defatted ‘alperujo’, an olive oil by-product, supplementation on the intestinal health of broiler chickens was assessed by analyzing the intestinal mucosal morphology of the duodenum and the cecum. The microbiota of the cecum was also characterized by analyzing the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene on days 7, 14, 21, 28, 35 and 42. Supplemented broilers from 14 to 35 days old showed an increase in villus height in the duodenum. This increase likely improved digestibility and absorption capacity during growth, leading to the observed increase in body weight at the day 35 of life. A progressive increase in crypt depth in both the duodenum and the cecum was also observed. This modification likely enhanced epithelial renewal, thus safeguarding the turnover capacity of the intestinal mucosa. Our molecular analysis of cecal microbiota suggests that this dietary supplement may favor the growth of certain bacteria and may control the spread of pathogenic bacteria by means of competitive exclusion
Rebollada A., Ugarte-Ruiz M., Hernandez M., Miguela-Villoldo P., Abad D., Cuesta-Alvaro P., Rodriguez-Lazaro D., de Juan L., Dominguez L. and Rodriguez-Bertos A..
 | Servicio de Patología y Veterinaria Forense (SAP). Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET). Universidad Complutense (UCM). |
 | Laboratorio de Biología Molecular y Microbiología. Instituto Tecnológico Agrario de Castilla y León (ITACyL). |
 | Unidad de Microbiología. Departamento de Biotecnología y Ciencia de los Alimentos. Universidad de Burgos (UBU). |
| Departamento de Sanidad Animal. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad Complutense (UCM). |
| Facultad de Informática. Universidad Complutense (UCM). |
| Departamento de Medicina y Cirugía Animal. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad Complutense (UCM). |
