Authors: Agata Józefiak, Abdelbasset Benzertiha, Bartosz Kierończyk, Anna Łukomska, Izabela Wesołowska, Mateusz Rawski
Publications: Animals, DOI: 10.3390/ani10040577
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/4/577
Throughout their lifecycle, insects can be a rich source of many valuable nutrients and biologically active components. It was demonstrated that the additive of Tenebrio molitor (TM) and Zophobas morio (ZM) into broiler chicken diet can have a positive effect on their growth parameters as well as some microbial composition in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Therefore, the present study evaluated the effect of diet with the addition of Tenebrio molitor and Zophobas morio (0.2 and 0.3%) on the cecal microbiome in broilers. The addition of 0.2% ZM compared to the negative control (NC) group resulted in an increase in relative abundance of the Actinobacteria, including the family Bifidobacteriaceae, with the highest relative abundance of genus Bifidobacterium pseudolongum. The addition of 0.2% ZM resulted in an increase in the number of Lactobacillus agilis. The highest relative abundance of the family Ruminococcaceae was observed in the 0.2 TM group together with Lactobacillus reuteri but with no significant differences. Furthermore, a significant level of Clostridia was observed in the 0.2 TM group. A relatively small addition of Tenebrio molitor and Zophobas morio to broiler diet can modulate commensal and probiotic microbiome composition in the cecum and increase the relative abundance of positive bacteria to have a positive impact on gut health of broilers.