Baker’s Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and its application on poultry’s production and health: A review

Abstract

The poultry population has substantially grown in recent years, and measures to ensure meat quality have also improved significantly. The exponential growth of the human population eventually resulted in increasing meat demand. In particular, poultry meat has been the more favorable and nutritive option. Research on feed additives has sparked an interest in many poultry specialists looking for ways to increase poultry performance. The use of baker's yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as an antibiotic alternative by acting as prebiotics and probiotics has received significant attention. Baker’s yeast contains β-glucans and mannan-oligosaccharides as its main components. Recent studies have shown that baker’s yeast, as an alternative protein source, positively affects poultry growth performance, blood parameters, and immune response. Furthermore, the application of baker's yeast as a fermented feed additive showed promising results for poultry production. The use of baker’s yeast in the diet improves the morphological structure of the poultry gut, thus increasing growth performance. More informatively, it stimulates feed intake, increases body weight gain, and improves the feed conversion ratio. Baker’s yeast also improves the immune system of poultry animals by reducing various numbers of harmful microorganisms by combating poultry diseases more effectively and eventually increasing poultry health. This paper aims to synthesize all aspects of the effect of baker’s yeast on the poultry industry and the role and application of baker's yeast in poultry productivity.