1. Amorphous cellulose feed supplement alters the broiler caecal microbiome.
- Author
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Maesschalck, Celine De, Eeckhaut, Venessa, Maertens, Luc, Lange, Loek De, Marchal, Leon, Daube, Georges, Dewulf, Jeroen, Haesebrouck, Freddy, Ducatelle, Richard, Taminau, Bernard, and Immerseel, Filip Van
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CELLULOSE , *CHICKEN diseases , *GUT microbiome , *ANIMAL feeds - Abstract
The grains that form the basis of most commercial chicken diets are rich in cellulose, an unbranched β-1,4-linked D-glucopyranose polymer, used as a structural molecule in plants. Although it is a predominant polysaccharide in cereal hulls, it is considered an inert non-fermentable fiber. The aim of the current study was to analyze the effect of in-feed supplementation of cellulose on the gut microbiota composition of broilers. Administration of cellulose to chickens, on top of a wheat-based diet, changed the caecal microbiota composition, as determined using pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. At day 26, a significantly (P < 0.01) higher relative abundance of the Alistipes genus was observed in the caeca of broilers fed the cellulose-supplemented diet, compared to animals fed the control diet. An in vitro batch fermentation assay showed a significant (P < 0.01) growth stimulation of Alistipes finegoldii in the presence of cellulose. In conclusion, in-feed supplementation of cellulose alters the microbiota composition at the level of the phylum Bacteroidetes , specifically the Alistipes genus. This suggests that cellulose is not essentially inert but can alter the gut micro-environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
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