Impact of Dietary Supplementation of Probiotics on Cecal Microbial Ecology, Immune Response, and Meat Quality of Muscovy Ducks

TL;DR

This study shows that adding probiotics to Muscovy ducks' diets can improve their health, immune response, and meat quality.

Contribution

The study evaluates the effects of specific probiotic supplements on Muscovy ducks' health and meat quality.

Findings

Probiotic-fed ducks had higher body weight and lower IL-6 and IL-10 levels compared to controls.

Lactobacillus spp. counts were higher in probiotic-fed ducks.

One probiotic improved meat flavor and water-holding capacity.

Abstract

Probiotics represent a beneficial approach to boost the welfare, health, and meat quality of poultry. One hundred and twenty one-day-old male Muscovy ducklings were divided among 24 floor pens (five ducklings per pen). The pens were randomly distributed among one of four dietary treatments with six replicates (G-C) without any supplementation of probiotics; (G-A) was supplemented with 0.4 g/kg of Amnil®; (G-M) was supplemented with 0.5 g/kg of M-Mobilize®; and (G-A-M) was supplemented with 0.4 g/kg of Amnil® (1–30 day) and 0.5 g/kg of M-Mobilize® (31–60 day), respectively. The results indicated that BW at day 60 was improved in (G-A) birds compared with (G-C) ones, IL-6 was decreased in (G-A) and (G-A-M) in liver and spleen in comparison with (G-C) (p < 0.05), but no differences were observed between (G-C) and (G-M) (p > 0.05); IL-10 was decreased in all the probiotic-fed ducklings compared with (G-C) birds in the spleen (p < 0.05), and IL-10 was decreased in the (G-A) birds compared with the other treatments in the liver (p < 0.05). Probiotic-fed birds showed a higher enumeration of Lactobacillus spp. compared to (G-C) group (p < 0.05). In addition, the (G-M) group showed improved breast meat flavor, general acceptability, and water-holding capacity (WHC%) compared to (G-C) group (p < 0.05). These results suggest that the probiotic supplement (G-A), could be a good management tool for improving Muscovy ducks’ health and production and further research is needed to improve meat quality traits.

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