Effects of the dietary supplementation of a native probiotic on the blood metabolites, gut parameters, and meat quality of growing lambs

Abstract

This study aimed to compare the efficacy of a native probiotic (indigenously produced Saccharomyces cerevisiae) with that of commercial S. cerevisiae in terms of the effects on blood metabolites, gut histology, the expression of genes related to the ruminal epithelium, ruminal electrophysiology, and meat quality in lambs. Thirty male Lohi lambs were allocated to three dietary treatments for three weeks (N = 10/treatment): the control (C; basal diet without supplementation); commercial yeast (CY; basal diet supplemented with 1 g/animal/day commercial S. cerevisiae); and indigenous yeast (IY; basal diet supplemented with 1 g/animal/day indigenous S. cerevisiae). The results showed that dietary supplementation of CY or IY significantly decreased plasma glucose and cholesterol, while jejunal villus height and ruminal papillae length and density increased significantly compared to the C lambs. Ruminal insulin-like growth factor-2 and monocarboxylate transporter-1 expression were higher in both IY and CY, which corresponded to a significantly increased short-circuit current (IY > CY). Regarding the meat parameters, pH_{18 h}, water-holding capacity, and cooking loss were lower, while drip loss and redness were significantly higher in the supplemented groups. This study suggests that supplementation with IY produces beneficial effects in growing lambs. Supplementation with IY is a promising approach, and the use of native feed additives in animal farming should be further explored.