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Probiotics have received attention as alternatives to antibiotics due to their relative biosafety. Despite the health-promoting effects of multispecies probiotic formulation (MPF) in weaning pigs were well-documented, the health-promoting potential of MPF in growing-finishing pigs remain limited. Therefore, we conducted a six-week experiment to investigate the beneficial effects of MPF supplementation (the formulations containing Lactobacillus plantarum CJLP243, L. fermentum LF21, L. salivarius E4101, Leuconostoc paramesenteroides KJP421, Bacillus subtilis CJMPB957 and B. licheniformis CJMPB283) on intestinal environments and hepatic lipid metabolism in growing-finishing pigs. The results showed that the growth performance of MPF group was improved compared to control group during the experimental period without affecting feed intake. The dietary MPF supplementation also significantly increased the jejunal mRNA expression levels of zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and decreased that of interleukin-12 (IL-12). Dietary MPF supplementation was found to not only reduce the hepatic triglyceride concentration but down-regulate hepatic mRNA expression levels of lipid metabolism-related markers, such as as sterol regulatory element-binding transcription factor 1c (SREBP-1c), CCAAT/enhancer binding protein α (CEBPα), acetyl coA carboxylase (ACC) and carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1β (CPT1β). Nonetheless, MPF supplementation also had the capability to modulate gut microbiota populations, including Clostridiaceae, Lachnospiraceae, and Turicibacter. Collectively, our results suggest that dietary MPF inclusion could be a promising approach to promote the growth performance and the overall health of growing-finishing pigs via modulation of gut microbiota.

White soyflakes (SFs) were heat-treated by steam pressure cooking for four conditions to compared laboratory analytical values with in vivo qualities of soybean meal. The heat-treatment conditions consisted of no heat-treatment (SF-1), 5 min at 95 °C (SF-2), 5 min at 110 °C (SF-3), 15 min at 110 °C (SF-4), and 60 min at 110 °C (SF-5) under 1.07 kg/cm 2 pressure. The pepsin digestibility (PD), urease activity index (UAI), protein solubility in 0.2% KOH solution (KOH), and protein dispersibility index (PDI) were measured. Twenty pigs (14.1 ± 0.92 kg) were used to determine the energy and nitrogen digestibility. Experimental diets were formulated to contain 217 g/kg CP and 14.1 ME MJ/kg. Two growth trials were also conducted with 60 pigs per trial. The diets contained 191 g/kg CP and 14.2 ME MJ/kg. The nitrogen and energy digestibility were highest in SF-4 (P in vivo quality due to their small decrease (95–93%) during heat treatment. The abrupt drop of UAI was sensitive to detect under heat treatment (SF-1 and SF-2); however, the constant value (nearly zero) in adequate and over heat treatments (SF-3, SF-4, and SF-5) revealed their useless in adequate and over heat treatments ( r = −0.40). The KOH was sensitively changed from 96 to 84% after low heat treatment (SF-0 and SF-1), and also decreased from 76 to 41% after extreme heat treatment (SF-4 and SF-5). They exhibited linear negative correlation through heat treatments ( r = −0.97). The PDI dropped steeply (65–22%) after low heat treatment (SF1 to SF-3), and gradually decreased with further heat treatments ( r = −0.68). The analytical value of PDI to under heat treatment was much more correlation with in vivo quality than did UAI. These results suggested that the combination of the KOH and PDI is more effective at predicting the in vivo quality from the laboratory analytical value than the combination of the UAI and KOH.