The bright future of yeast and bacteria in addressing the main challenges to poultry health and production

Lallemand poultry R&D and technical teams are presenting six new poultry studies at the World Poultry Congress in Paris, August 7-11. The studies cover a range of applications and complementary solutions, from chick microbiota maturation to hen bone health, reflecting the company’s holistic approach to poultry production.

“The Lallemand Centers of Excellence team developed extensive knowledge about poultry microbiomes, from digestive microbiota to the ones surrounding the animals. At the same time, our applied R&D team has conducted many poultry research trials, documenting specific benefits and modes of action of microbial-based solutions to support poultry performance and welfare,” explains Mathieu Castex, R&D Director for Lallemand Animal Nutrition.

“As a result, Lallemand Animal Nutrition developed one of the largest portfolios of yeast and bacteria products specifically dedicated to poultry applications. This portfolio can help address the unique challenges of those managing broilers, layers, breeders, hatcheries, and other poultry. These challenges include feed efficiency, gut health, food safety, egg quality, and layer bone health, as illustrated by some of the studies presented this week in Paris,” he concluded.

The six studies to be presented by the Lallemand poultry team at World Poultry Congress 2022 cover various aspects, including:

• Speeding up gut microbiota establishment in the hatchery. Thanks to genomic techniques, our team was able to pinpoint in seven-day-old chicks some of the gut microbial populations promoted by the use of AVIGUARD, a natural microbiota derived from healthy birds, applied to 1-day-old chicks. They observed a rapid establishment of well-adapted bacteria in comparison to the control birds’ microbiota still in the process of selection. The chicks’ inoculation enables them to speed up the establishment of mature gut microbiota. Such normal and healthy microbiota can, in turn, support persistent protection against undesirable bacteria colonization (Salmonella, E. coli, Clostridium perfringens) while the early onset of key metabolic functions is also expected.
• Hen eggshell quality and bone health: Another original study confirms the capacity of the probiotic bacteria, Pediococcus acidilactici CNCM I-4622 (BACTOCELL), to favor relative eggshell weight and lower the percentage of rejected eggs (mainly broken eggs). The study also helps better understand the mechanisms involved. The probiotic-fed hens exhibited improved calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) retention and the absorption of the minerals into the blood. This translated into enhanced bone resistance and bone mineralization. Overall, the improvement of Ca and P absorption from the dietary origin with the probiotic reduces the need for the hen to mobilize its own bone reserves, which can positively influence the longevity of hens in the egg production cycle.
• Improved gut health with the novel yeast cell wall. OPTIWALL is a novel yeast cell wall selected by the Lallemand R&D team. It offers guaranteed levels — and batch-to-batch consistency — of mannan-oligosaccharides (MOS) and β-glucans. One of the studies to be presented indicates it supports broiler zootechnical performance, likely through its positive effects on gut health and morphology. The improved performance was associated with enhanced intestinal absorption capacity and gut function, stimulation of peripheral immunity, and ameliorated animal welfare (reduction of litter ammonia NH₃). The researchers conclude the new yeast cell wall offers a valuable solution in the current context of broiler production, where animals are constantly submitted to increased growth rates and can face subacute inflammation, potentially compromising zootechnical performance in the long run.
• Building up Saccharomyces c. boulardii CNCM I-1079 research in broilers. Three of the studies presented focused on Lallemand’s flagship probiotic yeast for broilers (LEVUCELL SB). A metagenomic study further indicates the probiotic yeast is able to modulate the broiler gut microbiota by supporting some beneficial populations, notably some SCFA-producing populations, while limiting some genera gathering potential pathogens, such as Enterococcus spp. Moreover, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii tended to increase in the ileum of birds receiving the live yeast. F. prausnitzii is a well-described beneficial bacteria associated with reduced inflammation. Another study confirms the practical benefit on birds’ resistance to pathogenic E. coli under challenging conditions (mortality was reduced by 5.5 points, EPI improved by 40 points).

Altogether, this research confirms probiotic, postbiotic, and microbial-based approaches have a bright future in supporting poultry production.