Effects of Bacteria-Enzyme Co-Fermented Chinese Herbal Medicine on Growth Performance, Apparent Nutrient Digestibility, Meat Quality, and Immune Function in Broilers

Peng Ding^1,2,3Xiong Wang⁴Sai Jiang^1,2Minxi Li^1,2Xi He³Yanmei Peng^1,2*

• ¹Hunan Academy of Chinese Medicine, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China
• ²Furong Laboratory, Changsha, China
• ³Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China
• ⁴Hunan Baodong Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Co., Ltd, Changsha, China

This experiment aimed to investigate the effects of bacteria-enzyme co-fermented Chinese herbal medicine on growth performance, apparent nutrient digestibility, meat quality, and immune function in broilers. Four hundred one-day-old, uniformly healthy Arbor Acres broiler chicks were randomly divided into 5 groups with 8 replicates of 10 chicks each. Using a single-factor randomized design, the control group received a basal diet, the unfermented herbs group received the basal diet supplemented with 1% unfermented Chinese herbal medicine, and three treatment groups received the basal diet supplemented with 0.5%, 1%, and 1.5% bacteria-enzyme co-fermented Chinese herbal medicine, respectively. The feeding trial lasted 42 days. Upon completion, three broilers were randomly selected from each replicate for a 4-day metabolism trial to determine apparent nutrient digestibility. Results showed that compared to the control group, the final body weight and average daily gain were significantly increased (P < 0.05), and the feed-to-gain ratio was significantly decreased (P < 0.05) in the groups supplemented with 1% and 1.5% co-fermented herbs. The apparent digestibility of dry matter, crude ash, and gross energy was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the 1% and 1.5% co-fermented herbs groups than in the control group. All three co-fermented herbs supplementation groups exhibited significantly higher apparent digestibility of crude protein, crude fat, and crude fiber compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Breast muscle drip loss and shear force were significantly reduced (P < 0.05) in the 1% and 1.5% co-fermented herbs groups compared to the control, with no significant difference between these two groups (P > 0.05). All herbs-supplemented groups showed significantly higher serum IgA, IgG, and IL-2 levels and significantly lower IL-1β levels than the control group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, supplementing Arbor Acres broiler diets with bacteria-enzyme co-fermented Chinese herbal medicine effectively enhanced growth performance and apparent nutrient digestibility, improved meat quality, and boosted immune function. Comprehensive consideration suggests that the recommended inclusion level of bacteria-enzyme co-fermented Chinese herbal medicine in Arbor apparent 删除[55372]: apparent 删除[55372]: apparent 删除[55372]: Acres broiler diets under this experimental condition is 1%.