Dietary Phytogenic Combination with Hops and a Mixture of a Free Butyrate Acidifier and Gluconic Acid Maintaining the Health Status of the Gut and Performance in Chickens

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Throughout the rearing period of broiler chickens, they are exposed to a number of stress factors that may compromise their health status. It is particularly important that the development of the gut with a balanced microbiome is not disturbed, which determines the overall health of the birds to a large extent. A number lines of evidence have indicated that substances with bioactive properties, including prebiotics, organic acids, and/or phytogenic ingredients of plants, may have beneficial actions in maintaining the good health status of the bird gut without compromising performance. In the present study, we investigated the dietary application of phytogenic ingredients from hops, licorice and arabic gum as well as a free butyrate acidifier together with a prebiotic complex in relation to the gut functional status response of the host. The present report confirmed that feeding the birds with the dietary treatments maintained bird growth and normal healthy status of the gut and improved gut morphostructure indices. Our findings indicate the potential of the investigated additives for modulating gut functional status in birds. ABSTRACT: Additives with bioactive properties can improve chickens’ gut health. This study investigated the physiological status of the gut, including its morphological structure and microbiome activities in chickens fed diets supplemented with phytogenic ingredients with hops (Anta(®)Phyt) or a mixture of a free butyrate acidifier and gluconic acid (PreAcid). In this study, 1155 broilers were distributed to three dietary treatments with 5 replicate pens per treatment, 77 birds each. Anta(®)Phyt was added at 400/300/200/200 mg/kg diet whereas PreAcid was added at 3/2/1/1 g/kg starter/grower I/grower II/finisher diet respectively. Dietary treatments did not compromise body weight in different growth periods. In the birds fed PreAcid-supplemented diet, higher gut concentration of butyric acid was observed, particularly in the early stage of growth, while the profile of the short-chain fatty acids was maintained among the treatments. Neither additive significantly affected cecal bacterial enzyme activities. Feeding the birds with Anta(®)Phyt and PreAcid had beneficial effects on gut morphostructure indices, including intestinal wall thickness, crypt depth and the villus height to crypt depth ratio, in 35- and 42-day old birds. In conclusion, the feeding Anta(®)Phyt- or PreAcid-supplemented diet exerted beneficial effects on the indices determining the physiological status of the gut and maintained good performance of birds of different ages.