Evaluation of intestinal health and caecal microbial populations in Javanese super chickens supplemented with fermented soybean meal

Abstract

The research protocol aimed to assess the intestinal health of the Javanese super chicken fed with fermented soybean meal using Bacillus subtilis and Aspergillus niger. A total of 36 healthy male one-day-old Javanese Super Chickens were categorized into three dietary treatments: control diet with unfermented SBM (CON), fermented SBM with Bacillus subtilis (B-SBM), and fermented SBM with Aspergillus niger (A-SBM), in a completely randomized design. Intestinal allometric measurements, histomorphometric and histopathological analyses, and caecal microbial populations were evaluated following fermented soybean meal (FSBM) supplementation. The study demonstrated that all dietary treatments led to substantial improvements in all parameters without causing any detrimental effects on overall gut health. Both treatment groups exhibited a significant increase in intestinal length and relative weight compared to the control group (P<0.05). An enhancement in intestinal histomorphology of birds fed with FSBM, characterized by increased villus height, a higher villus height-to-crypt depth (VH:CD) ratio, and larger villus absorptive surface areas. The treatment groups also exhibited significantly lower histopathological scores than the control group (P<0.05). FSBM supplementation also positively altered caecal microbial composition by increasing LAB counts while reducing coliform and E. coli populations. In conclusion, FSBM supplementation in Javanese super chicken significantly enhances intestinal morphology and caecal microbial composition, leading to an improved intestinal health index.