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Effects of a biotechnologically produced Pleurotus sapidus mycelium on gut microbiome, liver transcriptome and plasma metabolome of broilers

Summary

Researchers tested whether mushroom mycelium grown using agricultural waste could be safely added to chicken feed. The mycelium, rich in beneficial compounds like β-glucans, was added to broiler diets at varying levels for 35 days. Results showed that chickens fed diets containing up to 5% mushroom mycelium performed just as well as control chickens, with no negative effects on health, digestion, or metabolism, suggesting this sustainable feed ingredient could help reduce competition between animal feed and human food.

Background

Submerged cultivation of fungal mycelia using agricultural side streams offers sustainable feed production that does not compete with human nutrition. Pleurotus sapidus mycelium contains high concentrations of β-glucans which are known to act as prebiotics in monogastric animals.

Objective

This study investigated the effects of feeding Pleurotus sapidus mycelium as a dietary supplement on growth performance, cecal microbiota composition, gut integrity, nutrient digestibility, liver lipids, liver transcriptome and plasma metabolome in broilers.

Results

Body weight gain, feed intake, feed:gain ratio, and nutrient digestibility did not differ between groups. Cecal microbiota analysis showed minimal differences with only two low-abundance bacterial taxa differing significantly. Hepatic transcript profiling revealed 144 differentially expressed transcripts between PSA-5.0 and PSA-0 groups, but none exceeded 2-fold regulation. No differences were found in plasma metabolites, SCFA concentrations, or markers of gut integrity.

Conclusion

Inclusion of sustainably produced P. sapidus mycelium in broiler diets at inclusion levels up to 5% had no negative consequences on broiler performance and metabolism, supporting its potential as a sustainable feed ingredient that does not compromise production outcomes.
  • Published in:Poultry Science,
  • Study Type:Experimental Animal Study,
  • Source: PMID: 38945001
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