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Simple Summary: In horses, a healthy state of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is of utmost importance to support animals' health and performance. Several factors combine to influence the equilibrium of the GIT, including the composition of the diet, feeding management, the use of therapeutic antimicrobials, as well as biotic and abiotic stressors. Such factors can lead to an imbalance of the intestinal microbial populations and their functions and, subsequently, to reduced nutrient digestion, finally impacting the overall health of the animals. Several feed additives are used to support gut health; in horse nutrition, yeast is one of the additives most used as a supplement in the diet. Different studies showed that the addition of yeast to horse diets is able to enhance the nutrient digestibility of feeds by modulating intestinal microbial populations. Specifically, yeasts seem to act mainly upon fibrolytic and amylolytic bacteria, although, at the present moment, their role is still debated. The aim of this review is to provide the reader with an updated overview of the effects of yeast administration on nutrient digestibility and the intestinal microbial population, and to furnish an overview of yeast application in the field. To support the overall health of horses, it is essential to maintain an optimal gut health (GH) status, which encompasses several physiological and functional aspects, including the balance and functionality of intestinal microbial populations and, accordingly, the effective digestion and absorption of nutrients. Numerous biotic and abiotic stressors can lead to an imbalance of GH, such as the quality of forages and the composition of diet, e.g., the inclusion of high energy-dense feeds to meet the energy requirements of performance horses. To support the digestive function and the intestinal microbial populations, the diet can be supplemented with feed additives, such as probiotic yeasts, that promote the ability of cellulolytic bacteria in the hindgut to digest the available fiber fractions, finally increasing feed efficiency. Among the different yeasts available, S. cerevisiae is the most used in horses' nutrition; however, results of digestibility trials, as well as data on intestinal and fecal microbial populations, are sometimes contradictory. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to summarize the effects of S. cerevisiae on in vivo and in vitro digestibility, providing an updated overview of its effects on the intestinal and fecal microbial population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Yeast and yeast-derived products are largely employed in animal nutrition to support animals' health and to improve their performance. Thanks to their components, including mannans, β-glucans, nucleotides, vitamins, and other compounds, yeasts have numerous beneficial effects. Among yeast-derived products, hydrolyzed yeasts and yeast cultures have received less attention, but, although the results are somewhat conflicting, in most of the cases, the available literature shows improved performance and health in poultry. Thus, the aim of this review is to provide an overview of hydrolyzed-yeast and yeast-culture employment in poultry nutrition, exploring their effects on the production performance, immune response, oxidative status, gut health, and nutrient digestibility. A brief description of the main yeast bioactive compounds is also provided. Yeasts are single-cell eukaryotic microorganisms that are largely employed in animal nutrition for their beneficial effects, which are owed to their cellular components and bioactive compounds, among which are mannans, β-glucans, nucleotides, mannan oligosaccharides, and others. While the employment of live yeast cells as probiotics in poultry nutrition has already been largely reviewed, less information is available on yeast-derived products, such as hydrolyzed yeast (HY) and yeast culture (YC). The aim of this review is to provide the reader with an overview of the available body of literature on HY and YC and their effects on poultry. A brief description of the main components of the yeast cell that is considered to be responsible for the beneficial effects on animals' health is also provided. HY and YC appear to have beneficial effects on the poultry growth and production performance, as well as on the immune response and gut health. Most of the beneficial effects of HY and YC have been attributed to their ability to modulate the gut microbiota, stimulating the growth of beneficial bacteria and reducing pathogen colonization. However, there are still many areas to be investigated to better understand and disentangle the effects and mechanisms of action of HY and YC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of nucleotides administration on growth performance and immune response in post-weaning piglets. Twenty-eight male weaned piglets, homogeneous for age and weight were randomly allocated to two experimental treatments. Treated group (T) was daily orally administered 0.8 g/head of a mixture of nucleotides suspended in 2.1 mL water solution; while control group (C) received 2.1 mL saline solution. Body weight (BW) and average daily gain (ADG) were individually recorded weekly, while feed intake (FI), and gain:feed (G:F) were recorded and calculated on pen basis. Faecal score was evaluated every seven days. On day 0, 9, 18 and 27 blood samples were collected to determine IgA, IgG and haptoglobin concentration. At day 28 all piglets were sacrificed, and tissue samples of ileal Peyer's patches were collected for the evaluation of IL1α, IL1β, IL6, IL10, TNFα, TLR2, TLR4 and PPARγ gene expression. Nucleotides supplementation significantly increased BW (17.37 vs. 19.00 kg/pig; p = <.01), ADG (.351 vs..400 kg/d; p <.01), and FI (3.96 vs. 4.39 kg/d; p <.01), but not G:F (.61 vs..64; p =.29). Faecal consistency was not different between the experimental groups and no occurrence of diarrhoea was reported. IgA and IgG content in blood was not influenced by the treatment, as well as gene expression of inflammatory cytokines in Peyer's patches. The present trial shows that nucleotide administration is able to improve growth performance of post-weaning piglets, with no effects on inflammatory response and the expression of immune-related genes. Nucleotides administration increased BW, ADG and FI. Nucleotides did not affect inflammatory and immune response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endotoxins released from poultry feces have been associated with impaired human health. Because endotoxins are released from gram-negative intestinal bacteria, it was hypothesized that dietary strategies may influence endotoxin excretion via modulation of gut microbiota. We therefore tested dietary strategies that could potentially reduce cloacal endotoxin levels in broiler chickens. One-day-old male Ross 308 (N = 1,344) broilers were housed in 48 pens (N = 8 pens/treatment, 28 chickens per pen) and fed 1 of 6 diets for 35 days (d) in a 3-phase feeding program: a basic diet (CON) that served as the reference diet, or basic diet supplemented with butyrate (BUT), inulin (INU), medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA) or Original XPC™LS (XPC), or a high-fiber-low-protein (HF-LP) diet. A significant (P < 0.05) increase in cloacal endotoxin concentration at d 35 was observed in BUT as compared to CON. Analysis of cloacal microbiota showed a trend (P < 0.07) for a higher gram-negative/gram-positive ratio and for a higher relative abundance of gram-negative bacteria at d 35 (P ≤ 0.08) in BUT and HF-LP as compared to CON. A significant (P < 0.05) increase in average daily gain (ADG) and improved feed conversion ratio (P < 0.05) were observed in MCFA during the grower phase (d 14–28), and a significant (P < 0.05) increase in average daily feed intake (ADFI) was observed in MCFA during d 0 to 28. Broilers fed HF-LP had a significantly (P < 0.05) higher FCR and lower ADG throughout the rearing period. No treatment effects were found on footpad dermatitis, but BUT had worst hock burn scores at d 35 (P < 0.01) and MCFA had worst cleanliness scores at d 21 but not at d 35 (treatment*age P < 0.05), while INU had better cleanliness as compared to CON at d 35 (P < 0.05). In conclusion, especially BUT and HF-LP were able to modulate resident microbiota and BUT also increased cloacal endotoxin levels, which was opposite to our hypothesis. The present study indicates that cloacal endotoxin release can be affected by the diet but further study is needed to find dietary treatments that can reduce cloacal endotoxin release. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Since the European Union's (EU) antibiotic ban in 2006, interest in natural feed additives has largely increased. Natural feed additives are used to prevent diseases and promote growth in chickens, supporting animal health and modulating the development of the gut microflora during stressful situations. In the present study, a bioactive compound from plants belonging to the class of phytobiotics was assessed for its effects on production performance, antiradical activity and gut microflora in broiler chickens. The obtained results show how the tested compound is able to exert beneficial effects on the antiradical activity and gut microbial ecology of birds, even though the chickens' performance was unaffected. Phytobiotics are usually tested in feed and throughout the production cycle. However, it could be beneficial to evaluate their effects when administered only during critical moments, such as changes in feeding phases. The aim of the trial was to investigate the effect of a commercial plant extract (PE; IQV-10-P01, InQpharm Animal Health, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) on growth performance, blood antiradical activity and cecal microbiome when administered in drinking water to broiler chickens during the post-hatching phase and at each change of diet. In the experiment, 480 1-day-old male broiler chicks were assigned to two groups in a 50-day trial. Broilers received drinking water (C) or drinking water plus PE (T) at a rate of 2 mL/L on days 0 to 4, 10–11 and 20–21. PE did not affect performance and water intake, while total antiradical activity was improved (p < 0.05). A greater abundance of lactic acid bacteria (false discovery rate (FDR) < 0.05) was found in the T group and the result was confirmed at a lower taxonomic level with higher Lactobacillaceae abundance (FDR < 0.05). Our findings suggest that PE administration during critical moments of the production cycle of broiler chickens may exert beneficial effects at a systemic level and on gut microbial ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern broiler breeds allow for high feed efficiency and rapid growth, which come at a cost of increased susceptibility to pathogens and disease. Broiler growth rate, feed efficiency, and health are affected by the composition of the gut microbiota, which in turn is influenced by diet. In this study, we therefore assessed how diet composition can affect the broiler jejunal gut microbiota. A total of 96 broiler chickens were divided into four diet groups: control, coated butyrate supplementation, medium-chain fatty acid supplementation, or a high-fibre low-protein content. Diet groups were sub-divided into age groups (4, 12 and 33 days of age) resulting in groups of 8 broilers per diet per age. The jejunum content was used for metagenomic shotgun sequencing to determine the microbiota taxonomic composition at species level. The composed diets resulted in a total of 104 differentially abundant bacterial species. Most notably were the butyrate-induced changes in the jejunal microbiota of broilers 4 days post-hatch, resulting in the reduced relative abundance of mainly Enterococcus faecium (-1.8 l2fc, Padj = 9.9E-05) and the opportunistic pathogen Enterococcus hirae (-2.9 l2fc, Padj = 2.7E-08), when compared to the control diet. This effect takes place during early broiler development, which is critical for broiler health, thus exemplifying the importance of how diet can influence the microbiota composition in relation to broiler health. Future studies should therefore elucidate how diet can be used to promote a beneficial microbiota in the early stages of broiler development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dry matter (DM) intake in dairy cow is a central point to meet nutritional requirements and optimal performance, reducing the incidence of metabolic diseases (Ingvartsen, 2006). DM content of some forages, such as silages, can undergo huge variations during storing, affecting the total daily DM consumed. Reference laboratory method for DM assessment is time-consuming and cannot be applied to daily changes in diet composition. Currently, new promising real-time technologies are available to monitor the DM content of feeds (Nelson and Trabelsi, 2004). The aim of the study was to test and calibrate a portable microwave sensor (MS) for DM content in corn silage samples. Twentytwo samples were collected from the whole front of a corn silage trench, including the top and near the side walls, in order to collect as much as DM content variability as possible within the samples. MS readings were performed with 3 different methods for each samples: 1) directly on the silage front, 2) with the MS over the collected sample and 3) with MS placed under the sample. After the first MS reading, a correspondent silage sample was obtained by a silage corer for readings 2 and 3 and for the laboratory DM content assessment by drying in a 60°C forced air-oven to a constant weight. A linear regression analysis was performed (JMP, SAS Institute, Cary, NC, 2015) on data obtained from a plot of MS readings against DM content. Results evidence as the best MS reading method is represented by the probe burdening on the sample (R2=0.75) with respect to the other methods. The obtained results outlined as, with a correct reading method, MS could be valuable tool to determine DM content of corn silage directly at farm level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of hydrolysed yeast from Kluyveromyces fragilis (HK) on growth performance, diarrhoea incidence, plasma antioxidant efficiency and immune status, and faecal microbiota of weaned piglets. A total of 100 weaned piglets with BW (7.03 ± 0.14 kg) and age (25 ± 1 days) were randomly allotted to 4 groups with 5 replicates in a 21-day experiment. Piglets were fed with basal diet (NC), NC + 2 g/kg zinc oxide (PC), NC + 7.5 g/kg HK (HK1), or NC + 10 g/kg HK (HK2). Blood and faecal samples were collected on day 21. Significant differences were pointed out in the PC and HK2 piglets compared to the NC group as to the diarrhoea incidence from day 0 to 21 (p < 0.001; p = 0.032), the activity of plasma superoxide dismutase (p = 0.019; p = 0.003) and the concentration of plasma malondialdehyde (p = 0.042; p = 0.010). Moreover, significant differences were pointed out in the HK2 piglets compared to the NC group as to the content of plasma immunoglobulin A (p = 0.005), the Ace index and Chao1 index (p = 0.023; p = 0.018,) and the relative abundance of Campylobacterota and Escherichia-Shigella (p = 0.023; p = 0.032). In conclusion, dietary HK at 10 g/kg alleviated diarrhoea incidence of piglets that might be attribute to the improved plasma antioxidant efficiency and immune status and the regulated faecal microbial community, and could be alternative to the high dose ZnO. Dietary HK improved plasma antioxidant and immune status and reduced the diarrhoea incidence in weaned piglets. The dosage of 10 g/kg HK showed better effect than that of 7.5 g/kg. The supplementation of 10 g/kg HK to post-weaning diet may be an alternative to the high-dose ZnO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the influence of different loading levels, cutting and mixing times on total mixed ration (TMR) homogeneity delivered along the feeding alley of dairy cows. The TMR homogeneity along the alley was investigated according to three mixing wagon loads (40, 70 and 100% of the nominal capacity), three cutting times (4, 5 and 6 min) and three mixing times (4, 5 and 6 min). The diet (70:30 forage/concentrate ratio) was supplied by a two-screws vertical mixing wagon (maximum nominal capacity, 21 m3). A preliminary variance analysis of chemical parameters was performed on samples collected in the mixing wagon: samples of released TMR were taken at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the feeding alley (50 m long). The chemical parameters of the diet revealed no significant effects on the homogeneity of the samples for cutting time (p>.05). Mixing wagon loading affected crude protein (CP) (p <.05) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) content (p <.01), while mixing time influenced dry matter (DM) of the diet (p <.05). The loading level of the mixing wagon affected the difference of the collected samples from the formulated diet for ash content. The 70% of the nominal capacity load of the mixing wagon showed the lower difference values between expected and chemically determined NDF (p <.01), CP (p <.05) and ether extract (EE) (p <.05) content in the diet. The DM and NDF differences along the alley, affected by mixing times (p <.05), showed a poor uniformity of ingredients during distribution, although samples uniformity at wagon level. The efficiency of a two-screw vertical mixing wagon on total mixed ratio uniformity was evaluated on diet samples delivered along the feeding alley. Three loading levels, three cutting and three mixing times were considered for the mixing wagon. Mixing wagon loading affected CP and NDF content; mixing time influenced DM and NDF content at the delivery points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Primiparous sows are usually associated with poor lactation performance and low weaning weight piglets. Live yeast (LY) supplementation in gestation and lactation diets have been shown to improve sow health status, milk composition, and growth performance of suckling piglets. However, little is known about the carryover effects of LY supplementation during gestation and lactation on primiparous sows and their offspring. In the present study, LY supplementation significantly increased the serum concentrations of IgA and IgG of sows at farrowing and weaning stages, and of piglets at post-weaning on day 14 and 28. These results suggest that LY addition in the diets of gestating and lactating primiparous sows might improve the maternal and progeny health by increasing the immunity of sows and their offspring. The present study determined the effects of live yeast (LY) supplementation during middle–late gestation and the lactation period in primiparous sows on reproductive parameters, lactation performance, and immunity, and also explores the carryover effects in their offspring. On day (d) 60 of gestation, 16 crossbred primiparous sows were randomly assigned to two dietary treatments (with or without supplementation of 425 mg/kg of live yeast; LYT and CT, respectively) homogeneous for body weight (BW) and backfat thickness. Experimental diets were applied from day 60 of gestation to the end of lactation. At weaning, 60 piglets with an average BW of each treatment were selected based on their source litter and assigned to two groups corresponding to the original treatments received by their mothers. Each group had five replicates of six piglets each and was fed a basal diet for 42 days. The results showed that LY supplementation significantly increased the serum IgA and IgG concentrations of sows at farrowing and weaning stages, and of piglets on day 14 and 28 post weaning. No significant differences were found in reproductive and lactation performance, while minor effects were observed on antioxidant capacity. In conclusion, live yeast addition during middle–late gestation and the whole lactation period resulted in enhanced immunity of primiparous sows and their offspring, therefore, improving maternal and progeny health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines whether maternal low ω6:ω3 ratio diet and offspring SW supplementation can improve offspring immunity and performance by elucidating the effects on piglet serum proteome. A total of 16 sows were given either a standard (CR, 13:1) or low ω6:ω3 ratio diet (LR, 4:1) during pregnancy and lactation and their male weaned piglets were supplemented with SW powder (4 g/kg, SW) or not (CT) in a 21-day post-weaning (PW) diet. Four PW piglet groups were then identified based on dam and piglet treatment, namely CRCT, CRSW, LRCT, and LRSW (n = 10 each). Piglet serum collected at weaning and d21 PW were analysed (n = 5 each) using TMT-based quantitative proteomics and validated by appropriate assays. The differentially abundant proteins (n = 122) displayed positive effects of maternal LR diet on anti-inflammatory properties and innate immune stimulation. Progeny SW diet activated the innate immunity and enhance the host defence during inflammation. These data demonstrate the value of decreasing ω6:ω3 ratio in maternal diet and SW supplementation in PW piglet's diet to boost their immunity and anti-inflammation properties. This novel proteomic study in post-weaned piglets addresses the interplay between maternal and offspring nutritional interventions in a context of rapid and dynamic alterations in piglet metabolic status around weaning. Decreasing ω6:ω3 ratio in maternal diet and SW supplementation in PW piglet's diet can boost their immunity and anti-inflammation properties. This study also provides new insights into piglet serum proteome regulation during post-weaning, a critical development period in swine. [Display omitted] • Maternal low ω6:ω3 ratio (4:1) and offspring seaweed supplementation affected the serum proteome in post-weaned piglets. • Transferrin was altered in comparison between two maternal dietary treatments and between weaning versus day 21 post-weaning. • Serum acute phase proteins and apolipoproteins were altered between weaning versus day 21 post-weaning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]