Effects of albusin B (a bacteriocin) of Ruminococcus albus 7 expressed by yeast on growth performance and intestinal absorption of broiler chickens—its potential role as an alternative to feed antibiotics

BACKGROUND: Bacteriocins with antimicrobial activity are considered as potential alternatives to antibiotics. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of albusin B (bacteriocin) of Ruminococcus albus 7 expressed by yeast on the growth performance of broiler chickens. Ninety 1-day-old healthy broiler chickens were randomly divided into three groups: control, albusin B (2.5 g kg(-1)) and nosiheptide (2.5 mg kg(-1), antibiotic control). Growth performance and intestinal functions were measured at 5 weeks of age. RESULTS: Albusin B-supplemented broilers showed increased body weight gain compared with control broilers (54.7 ± 5.3 vs 48.5 ± 6.1 g day(-1) per bird, P < 0.05). Broilers supplemented with nosiheptide had a less developed mucosal layer than broilers in the other two groups. Compared with the control group, broilers supplemented with albusin B or nosiheptide showed increased mRNA expression of sGLT1, GLUT2 and PEPT1 in the jejunum (P < 0.05). The faecal Lactobacillus count was higher in the albusin B group than in the other two groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Albusin B supplementation increased intestinal absorption and elevated the faecal Lactobacillus count, thereby promoting the growth performance of broiler chickens. These improvements resulting from albusin B supplementation provide evidence of potential alternatives to antibiotics in broiler chicken feed.