Influence of spent ginger yeast cultures on the production performance, egg quality, serum composition, and intestinal microbiota of laying hens.

Junhan Liu,Yuhong Jin,Junhua Yang

doi:10.5713/ab.21.0514

Abstract

ObjectiveSpent ginger is a byproduct of juice extraction from the rhizome of ginger (Zingiber officinale). Despite its nutritional value, it is difficult to preserve or further process and thus is often wasted. This study uses spent ginger as a substrate for fermentation and cultivates spent ginger yeast cultures (SGYCs) that are then added to the feed of laying hens. The effects of SGYCs on production performance, egg quality, serum composition, and intestinal microbiota of laying hens were investigated.MethodsEighty 60-week-old Hy-Line Brown hens were separated into 5 experimental groups with 4 replicates per group (4 hens per cage, 4 cages per replicate). The control group was fed a basal diet while experimental groups were also given SGYCs at the levels of 5, 10, 20, and 40 g/kg for 6 weeks.ResultsThe addition of SGYCs significantly increased the laying rate and nutrient digestibility, decreased feed conversion ratio, and enhanced the color of egg yolks (p<0.05). No changes were observed in activity levels of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase in the serum (p>0.05), but the activities of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and peroxidase all significantly increased, and contents of malondialdehyde were significantly reduced (p<0.05). In addition, changes in the relative abundance of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes might be the main factor contributing to the significant increase in the apparent digestibility of crude protein and crude fat in laying hens (p<0.05).ConclusionThe current evidence shows that dietary supplementation of SGYCs to the feed of laying hens can improve laying rates, enhance antioxidative defenses, and influence dominant intestinal bacteria.

Highlights

Eggs are considered an ideal food for humans in terms of nutritional value
The 10 g/kg supplemental group had distinctly lower feed conversion ratio compared to the control. This result may be linked to the increase in egg weight: on average, eggs from the 10 g/kg supplemental group weighed 0.23 g more compared to the control group. These results indicate that the addition of spent ginger yeast cultures (SGYCs) to feeds for laying hens can effectively increase the frequency of egg laying and lower feed conversion ratio, and that such effects manifest in a gradual manner
Analysis of eggs collected on the 42nd day of the experimental period showed that yolks of eggs laid by hens from the treatment groups were significantly different in color compared to the control (p

Summary

Introduction

Eggs are considered an ideal food for humans in terms of nutritional value. Egg protein has amino acid composition highly suitable and can be absorbed by the human body, with utilization rates up to 98% [1]. Eggs are rich in lecithin, sterols, and various micronutrients [2]. Increasing the output and quality of egg production remains of high interest in agricultural research. Supplementation to the diet of laying hens is a common strategy to improve egg production. Yeast cultures (YCs), which typically refer to mixtures of both yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae [S. cerevisiae]) and the solid or liquid mediums in which they were fermented, are considered high-quality supplements because they contain various bioactive substances including yeast cells, vitamins, amino acids, organic acids, and oligosaccharides [4].

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