A comparison of two probiotics Aspergillus oryzae and, Saccharomyces cerevisiae on productive performance, egg quality, small intestinal morphology, and gene expression in laying Japanese quail

Abstract

This experiment was conducted to evaluate and compare the effects of a dietary inclusion with Aspergillus oryzae and Saccharomyces cerevisiae on productive performance, egg quality, intestinal morphology, and SGLT1 gene expression in laying Japanese quail. A total of 320 laying quails aged 47-day-old were randomly allocated to 8 treatments with 4 replicates of 10 quails each, for 7 weeks. The experimental diets consisted of a basal corn-soybean meal or control, control diet + 50 mg/kg tetracycline, control diet + 100 and 200 mg/kg A. oryzae, control diet + 100 and 200 mg/kg S. cerevisiae, control diet + 100 and 200 mg/kg of the combination of both A. oryzae and S. cerevisiae at equal proportions. At the end of the experiment, 4 quails per treatment were slaughtered, and tissue samples from the jejunum (1.5 cm in length) were removed for intestinal morphology measurements. Samples from the midsegment of the jejunum (150–200 mg) were taken to evaluate the gene expression of sodium-glucose cotransporter (SGLT1). The dietary inclusion of S. cerevisiae at 200 mg/kg significantly improved the feed conversion ratio (FCR) and egg production and reduced the feed intake (FI) (p < .001). The greatest shell thickness values were found in those fed on diets containing S. cerevisiae at 200 mg/kg. The quails fed on diets containing the combination of both probiotics at 100 mg/kg showed significantly higher egg weight (p < .001). Shell percent and yolk index increased significantly in quails fed on S. cerevisiae-supplemented diets at 100 mg/kg (p < .05). The villus height in the S. cerevisiae-supplemented group (200 mg/kg) was significantly higher than other groups (p < .05). The villus width was significantly higher in quails given 200 mg/kg A. oryzae compared to those received 100 mg/kg A. oryzae or 200 mg/kg S. cerevisiae (p < .05). Supplementation of S. cerevisiae at both tested levels resulted in significantly higher SGLT1 gene expression in the jejunum (p < .05). In conclusion, the results of this experiment demonstrated that among the two probiotics, S. cerevisiae at the level of 200 mg/kg as a functional feed additive has a better potential to improve productive performance, intestinal morphology, and SGLT1 gene expression of laying Japanese quails. HIGHLIGHTS Supplementation of diet with 200 mg/kg S. cerevisiae improved egg production, shell thickness, and FCR. The addition of 200 mg/kg S. cerevisiae to the diets improved the gut development by enhancing the villus height. Inclusion of diet with S. cerevisiae at both levels upregulated the gene expression of SGLT1.