Consumer demand for natural and organic foods has risen steadily. Correspondingly, the demand for technologies to enhance animal performance through natural and organic solutions continues to increase. One such technology receiving considerable attention is the feedstuff application of live, beneficial bacteria, commonly called probiotics, but properly referred to as direct-fed microbials (DFM). The use of DFM in animal agriculture has grown continually over the last decade, yet the commercial success of DFM in poultry production to date has been limited. Overviewed here are the history, commercial applications, and research trials of DFM technology in animal agriculture as a means to gain some foresight into the future commercial use of DFM in poultry. We discuss successful probiotic trials in animal agriculture and emphasize those in poultry production that demonstrate 1) improved BW gain, 2) decreased morbidity, 3) decreased incidence of bird and human pathogens, and 4) increased economic profitability. Last, we present current and future obstacles and basic microbiological concepts that are essential for functional probiotic technologies.
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Flint et al. (2009) studied this question.
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