Probiotic use in poultry feed: A review

Abstract

Antibiotic have been in use for a long time in the field of animal production. But the development of antibiotic resistance has led the ground works for the researchers to find alternative to antibiotic use. Also, several countries have imposed strict rules in using antibiotic in animal production. As a result, there is a rising interest in the poultry industry in identifying efficient alternatives for growth promotion and disease prevention. It is considered that antibiotics can be replaced with probiotics as a feed additive. Probiotics are live microbial population used as supplement or feed additives in poultry diet. Commonly known as DFM (direct-fed microbial), they have many beneficial effects on poultry production including improving growth rate, feed intake & feed use efficiency in poultry. They also provide a better GIT health and improve immune function of poultry. Probiotic preparations contain a variety of species i.e., Lactobacillus bulgaricus, L. acidophillus, L. casei, L. helveticus, L. salvarius, L. plantarum, L. faecalis, Streptococcus thermophilus, Enterococcus faecium, Enterobactris faecalis, Bifidobacteria species, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To achieve the best results, it is required to choose the right probiotic strains. In this review, the effect of probiotics on growth rate, feed intake, feed conversion efficiency, meat quality, egg production, intestinal morphology and control of enteric pathogens have been discussed. This review also focuses on the mechanisms of action of probiotics.