ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Animal Nutrition and Metabolism
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1658361
This article is part of the Research TopicInnovative Solutions in Animal Nutrition to Enhance the Sustainability of the Zootechnical Production SystemView all articles
Metabolomic and Microbial Diversity Perspectives on Aspergillus oryzae Culture-Induced Modifications in Ovine Feed Utilization and Rumen Ecosystem
Provisionally accepted
- Xinjiang Agricultural University, Ürümqi, China
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This study evaluated the effects of a 1% Aspergillus oryzae culture (AOC) dietary supplementation on production performance, ruminal fermentation, microbial communities, and metabolomic profiles in sheep, aiming to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Twelve rumen-fistulated sheep were randomly allocated to a control group (basal diet) and a trial group (basal diet + 1% AOC). Each group contained 6 sheep, and the experiment was conducted over a 30-day period. Parameters including production performance, apparent nutrient digestibility, ruminal pH, VFA, ammonia-N concentrations, microbial diversity, and metabolomic profiles were systematically assessed. Results demonstrated that the trial group exhibited significantly higher average daily gain (ADG) (P < 0.05), 7.00% increase in neutral detergent fibre (NDF) digestibility (P < 0.05), and enhanced nitrogen retention (P < 0.05) Ruminal acetate and total VFA concentrations were elevated (P < 0.05), accompanied by increased propionate proportion and stable pH. The trial group showed increased relative abundances of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, while the abundance of Proteobacteria was reduced (P > 0.05). At the genus level, a significant enrichment of Succiniclasticum was observed in the trial group (P < 0.05). Metabolomic profiling identified upregulated antioxidant metabolites (Rg3 - Ginsenoside Rg3, lipoamide) and energy metabolism pathways, alongside downregulated inflammatory markers. Enrichment of phenylalanine metabolism and TCA further indicated enhanced metabolic efficiency. These findings suggest that AOC improves sheep productivity and rumen health by modulating fibrolytic microbiota, boosting VFA synthesis, and activating antioxidant pathways, providing theoretical evidence for developing novel ruminant feed additives.
Keywords: Aspergillus oryzae culture, Sheep, Fiber degradation, Rumenmetabolism, Microbial Diversity
Received: 02 Jul 2025; Accepted: 20 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Xie. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jinglong Xie, 1447591725@qq.com
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