Evaluation of Multi-microbial Probiotics Produced by Submerged Liquid and Solid Substrate Fermentation Methods in Broilers

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate multi-microbe submerged liquid (SLF) and solid substrate (SSF) fermented probiotic products in broilers. The SLF and SSF probiotics were comprised of Lactobacillus acidophilus ($1.1{\times}10^9$ and $4{\times}10^8$ cfu/g), Bacillus subtilis ($1.1{\times}10^9$ and $4{\times}10^9$ cfu/g), Saccharomyces cerevisiae ($1.5{\times}10^7$ and $1.0{\times}10^4$ cfu/g) and Aspergillus oryzae ($2.6{\times}10^7$ and $4.3{\times}10^7$ cfu/g), respectively. In Exp. 1, 640 day-old Ross chicks were allotted to 4 treatments, each comprising 4 replicates (40 chicks/replicate). The basal diet was prepared without any antimicrobials (negative control, NC), and 20 mg/kg avilamycin (positive control, PC), 0.3% SLF and 0.3% SSF probiotics were added to the basal diets as treatments. Birds fed PC and SSF diets showed improved (p<0.001) overall weight gain and F/G than birds fed NC and SLF diets; whereas, birds fed SLF diet had better weight gain and F/G than birds fed NC diet. Retention of CP was higher (p<0.05) in birds fed the SSF diet than birds fed PC, SLF and NC diets. Birds fed the SLF diet tended to have higher (p<0.10) cecal total anaerobic bacteria than birds fed PC and NC diets; whereas, lesser cecal coliforms were noticed in birds fed PC, SLF and SSF diets than birds fed the NC diet. In Exp. 2, 640 day-old Ross chicks were randomly allotted to 4 treatments in a $2{\times}2$ factorial arrangement. Each treatment had 4 replicates (40 chicks/replicate). Two different multi-microbe probiotic products (0.3% SLF or SSF) each with two different antibiotics (10 mg/kg colistin, or 20 mg/kg avilamycin) were used as dietary treatments. Birds fed the SSF diet had greater weight gain (p<0.001), better F/G (p<0.05), greater retention of energy (p<0.001) and protein (p<0.05), and lesser cecal Clostridium (d 35) than birds fed SLF diet. Birds fed the colistin-supplemented diet had less (p<0.01) cecal coliforms when compared with birds fed the avilamycin diet. Additionally, birds fed the avilamycin diet had greater energy retention (p<0.05) than birds fed the colistin diet. Thus, the results of this study suggest the multi-microbe probiotic product prepared by a solid substrate fermentation method to be superior to the probiotic product prepared by submerged liquid fermentation; moreover, feeding of probiotics with different antibiotics did not elicit any interaction effect between probiotic and antibiotic.