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Title: ISOMALTOOLIGOSACCHARIDE INCREASE CECAL BIFIDOBACTERIUM POPULATION IN YOUNG BROILER CHICKENS

Author
item Thitaram, Sutawee
item Siragusa, Gregory
item DAY, D - LSU
item CHUNG, C - LSU
item Bailey, Joseph
item Hinton Jr, Arthur

Submitted to: Poultry Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/21/2005
Publication Date: 6/10/2005
Citation: Thitaram, S.N., Siragusa, G.R., Day, D.F., Chung, C.H., Bailey, J.S., Hinton Jr, A. 2005. Isomaltooligosaccharide increase cecal bifidobacterium population in young broiler chickens. Poultry Science. 84(7):988-1003.

Interpretive Summary: Our lab has tested a new prebiotic compound, IMO, for its ability to increase the numbers of bifidobacteria in the poultry ceca and found it does so when fed at levels from 1 to 4% of feed without adverse impact on the bird's feed intake or growth performance. Prebiotic substances are food and feed ingredients that enrich the natural populations of beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract. One such group of beneficial bacteria are the bifidobacteria that generally reside in the lower reaches of the chicken gastrointestinal tract. IMO is a compound derived from sugar cane juice that has been fermented by another beneficial bacterium known as Leuconostoc. We also demonstrated that IMO reduced the numbers of the food poisoning bacterium Salmonella in the cecum. This experiment demonstrates the potential for prebiotics to be part of a means to reduce Salmonella and that IMO is a candidate compound to be fed along with specific anti-salmonella beneficial bacteria (probiotics) to reduce Salmonella in chickens.

Technical Abstract: A newly developed fermentation derived compound, isomaltooligosaccharide (IMO), was hypothesized to enrich cecal bifidobacterial populations and reduce colonization levels of Salmonella in the ceca of broiler chickens. Broiler starter diets were prepared with final IMO concentration of 1% (wt/wt), 2% (wt/wt), 4% (wt/wt), and a control group without IMO supplementation. Forty one-day-old chicks were randomly divided into four groups and provided the treatment diet. All groups were challenged with 0.25 ml of a culture of Salmonella enterica ser. Typhimurium 200 µg/ml nalidixic acid resistant (S. ser. Typhimurium Nalr), containing 108 cells, after seven d of placement. The experiment was done in three replications. IMO supplemented diets resulted in significantly higher cecal bifidobacteria compared to the control diet (P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in bifidobacteria counts among the treatment group. Chickens fed diets with 1% wt/vol IMO had a significant two log reduction in the level of inoculated S. ser. Typhimurium Nalr (P<0.05) present in the ceca compared to the control group. No difference in feed consumption, feed conversion, feed efficiency and a small difference in bird body weight gain compared to a control group were observed. Feeding the optimum level of IMO in the diet of chickens will increase bifidobacteria level and may help reduce Salmonella colonization in young chickens.