Evaluation of Phytate-Degrading Lactobacillus Culture Administration to Broiler Chickens

• DOI: 10.1128/aem.03155-13
• Publication Date: 2013-11-23T02:13:18Z
• Authors: Tyler E. Askelson; Ashley Campasino; Jason T. Lee; Tri Duong
• Keywords: Phytase; Lactobacillus gasseri

Probiotics have been demonstrated to promote growth, stimulate immune responses, and improve food safety of poultry. While widely used, their effectiveness is mixed, the mechanisms through which they contribute poultry production are not well understood. Microbial phytases increasingly supplemented in feed digestibility reduce antinutritive effects phytate. The microbial origin these exogenous enzymes suggests a potentially important mechanism probiotic functionality. We investigated phytate degradation as novel using recombinant Lactobacillus cultures expressing Bacillus subtilis phytase. B. phyA was codon optimized for expression cloned into vector pTRK882. resulting plasmid, pTD003, transformed acidophilus, gallinarum, gasseri. SDS-PAGE revealed protein culture supernatants pTD003 transformants with molecular weight similar that Expression phytase increased L. gasseri, gallinarum approximately 4-, 10-, 18-fold over background activity empty-vector transformants, respectively. Phytase-expressing gasseri were administered broiler chicks fed phosphorus-deficient diet. improved gain chickens level comparable control diet adequate phosphorus, demonstrating proof principle administration phytate-degrading can performance livestock animals. This will inform future studies investigating whether able provide both benefits animal health traditionally associated probiotics.