Effect of prebiotic and probiotic supplements to increase live weight of calves in the diet

Article Details: Received: 2020-11-04 | Accepted: 2020-11-27 | Available online: 2021-01-31 https://doi.org/10.15414/afz.2021.24.mi-prap.164-167 Probiotics and prebiotics are effective to modulate optimal conditions in gastrointestinal tract inhabited by diverse microbial population. Probiotics regulate and modulate gut microbial population thus reducing the risk of diarrhea. Positive effect on growth is confirmed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of probiotic ( Lactobacillus sporogenes ) and prebiotic ( Ascophyllum nodosum ) supplements on weight gain in calves. Forty new-born Holstein calves were randomised to control and experimental group. In the experimental group, Lactobacillus sporogenes and Ascophyllum nodosum were added first to colostrum and then to milk replacer, calves in the control group were fed with colostrum and milk replacer only. The weight gains of animals were found out during the whole experiment. Evidence of animal health and diarrhea was monitored. In the end of experiment, the body weight gains in experimental calves were by 14,4% higher compared to control but without statistical significance (P>0,05). Probiotic and prebiotic treatment tended to diminish diarrhea. The health benefits of monitored treatment were noticed in experimental group. Keywords: calf, dietary supplements, nutrition, health References Blum, J. W. (2006). Nutritional physiology of neonatal calves. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition , 90(1-2), 1-11. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0396.2005.00614.x Cangiano, T. T. et al. (2020). Invited Review: Strategic use of microbial-based probiotics and prebiotics in dairy calf rearing. Applied Animal Science , 36(5), 630-651. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15232/aas.2020-02049 Frizzo, L. S. etbal. (2010). Lactic acid bacteria to improve growth performance in young calves fed milk replacer and spray-dried whey powder. Animal Feed Science and Technology , 157(3-4), 159-167. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2010.03.005 Gaggia, F. et al. (2010). Probiotics and prebiotics in animal feeding for safe food production. International Journal of Food Microbiology , 141(6), 15-28. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2010.02.031 Cho, Y. I. and Yoon, K. J. (2014). An overview of calf diarrhea - infectious etiology, diagnosis, and intervention.  Journal of Veterinary Science, 15(1), 1-17. DOI: https:// doi:10.4142/jvs.2014.15.1.1 Morrell, E. L. et al. (2008). Retrospective study of bovine neonatal mortality: Cases reported from INTA Balcarce. Argentina Revista Argentina de Microbiologia , 40(3), 151-157. DOI: https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/2130/213016785003.pdf Niggemman, B. (2006). Does unconventional medicine work through conventional modes of action. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology , 118(3), 569-573. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2006.06.021 Raabis, S. et al. (2019). Effects and immune responses of probiotic treatment in ruminants. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology , 208, 58-66. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetimm.2018.12.006 Rastall, R. and Maitin V. (2002). Prebiotics and synbiotics : towards the next generation. Current Opinion in Biotechnology , 5, 490-496. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0958-1669(02)00365-8 Renaud, D. L. et al. (2019). Evaluation of a multispecies probiotic as a supportive treatment for diarrhea in dairy calves: A randomized clinical trial. Journal of Dairy Science , 102(5), 4498-4505. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2018-15793 Sanei, M. et al. (2012). Effects of hormone or mineral–vitamin enriched colostrum on performance and weaning age of Holstein calves. Livestock Science , 149(1-2),190-194. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2012.07.007 Soccol, C.R., et al. (2010). 'The Potential of Probiotics: A Review'.  Food Technology and Biotechnology , 48(4), 413-434. DOI: https://hrcak.srce.hr/61713 Timmerman, H. M. et al. (2005). Health and growth of veal calves fed milk replacers with or without probiotics. Journal of Dairy Science , 88(6), 2154-2165. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(05)72891-5 Uyeno, Y. et al. (2015).  Effect of Probiotics/Prebiotics on Cattle Health and Productivity. Microbes Environment . 30(2), 126-32. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1264/jsme2.ME14176 Veir, J. K. et al. (2007). Effect of supplementation with Enterococcus faecium (SF68) on immune functions in cats. Veterinary Therapeutics , 8(4) , 229-238. DOI: https://europepmc.org/article/med/18183541 Vrese, M. and Schvezenmeir, J. (2008). Probiotics, Prebiotics, and Symbiotics. Advances in Biochemical Engineering / Biotechnology , 111(1), 1-66. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/10_2008_097 Zhang, R. et al. (2016). Effect of oral administration of probiotics on growth performance, apparent nutrient digestibility and stress-related indicators in Holstein calves. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition , 100(1), 33-38. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jpn.12338


Introduction
The healthy gastrointestinal tract of animals in herd is the basis for the prosperous breeding. In ruminants, many different kinds of microbial comunities are inhabited in the rumen and intestines. These native microorganisms have important functions in nutrition digestion and health status of the host. The high quality of herd influences milk and meat production. Strenghtening benefical microorganisms is very important in calves immediately after the birth. Young animals face various diseases. Diarrhea is the main cause of morbidity and mortality in calves during their early life (Uyeno et al., 2015). This serious health issue has multi-factorial nature involves multiple pathogens, co-infection, environmental factors and feeding during the calving period (Cho and Yoon, 2014). A poorly developed immmune system is the cause of reduced immunity (Niggemman, 2006). Weak and sick calves grow slower or even lose weight. These are the reasons for strengthening the resistance against pathogens and other negative conditions. The first antibodies in calves come from colostrum, the first natural food of new-born calves. It is important that the intestinal mucsa contains enough of them. Then the calves have sufficient protection against infection from the environment (Renaud et al., 2019). Colostrum contains a large number of biologically active substances, such as insulin, insulin-like growth factors (IGF), growth hormone, prolactin, thyroid hormones, cortisol and some other substances (Sanei et al., 2012). Its quantity recieved is the most important in nutrition and is a fundamental aspect for health and post-natal development of new-born calves (Blum 2006).
Probiotics are defined as the living microorganisms administered in a sufficient number to survive in the intestinal ecosystem. These ingested microorganisms have a positive effect in the prevention and treatment of a specific http://www.acta.fapz.uniag.sk © Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra Faculty of Agrobiology and Food Resources pathologic condition. Probiotics are widely used as natural additives to force immune response and overall health (Soccol et al., 2010).
Unlike antibiotics, which are used to treat the opportunistic pathogenic flora, probiotics do not diminish natural gud protective flora (Timmerman et al., 2005).
The population of benefical microbes used as probiotics belong to lactobacillus and bifidobacterium family (Vrese and Schvezenmeir, 2008).
The animals can be supplemented with prebiotics in feed too. Prebiotics are defined as substrates that are selectively used by host microorganisms, providing a health benefit to the host (Cangiano et al., 2020). These substrates are served as nutrients for benefical microflora. Prebiotic oligosaccharides are used. Mostly, Fructooligosaccharidesas and Galactooligosaccharides are functional component of nutrition. These prebiotic oligosaccharides help the growth of healthy bacteria and their better colonization in the digestive tract (Rastall and Maitin, 2002). The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of probiotic (Lactobacillus sporogenes) and prebiotic (Ascophyllum nodosum) supplements on the weight gains in calves.

Material and methods
Forty Holstein new-born calves from the same dairy cows herd were involved in the experiment. The treated group including 20 calves was tested on the effect of probiotic (Lactobacillus sporogenes) and prebiotic (Ascophyllum nodosum) as a natural additives. The other 20 calves were controls. The young animals were separated and weaned from mothers on the first day within 3 hours after birth. Calves were bred during the whole experiment, from the first day to day the 28, in individual littered boxes. For the first four days, all calves received only colostrum and breast milk ad libitum three times a day from a nipple bucket. The milk replacer was fed from day 5. The daily amount 4.5 kg was divided into 3 portions. The starter mixture and alfalfa hay were available ad libitum until weaning. The plastic buckets used for feeding were fitted in the boxes at a height of 40 cm above the ground. The drinking water was available to calves during the whole experimental period. The experiment was conducted from June 2020 to August 2020. The calves in experimental group with probiotics and brebiotics received orally 1 g Lactobacillus sporogenes (4.1 × 10 7 CFU/g). The daily dose 5 ml of brown seaweeds hydrolyzate was added to colostrum and milk replacer from the first to the fourteenth day of age. Feed supplements were presented to the calves once a day in the experimental group. All the supplements were administered to the experimental groups during the first forteen days of the experiment. In the control group, the calves received a feed ration without feed supplements. Daily milk replacer input of 4.5 kg was devided into three doses, starter mixture and alfalfa hay were available ad libitum. All calves were observed from birth to day 28 of their age.
The data were analyzed using a General Linear Model ANOVA (four ways with the interactions) of the statistical package STATISTIC 12.

Results and discussion
The influence of probiotic and prebiotic supplements on the body weight gain of Holstein calves during the first 24 days of age were investigated. The differences between groups were observed. The experimental group achieved higher gains in weight especially in the 1 st and 4 th week after birth as Table 2 and Figure 1 demonstrate. In the end of the experiment, average body weight gain of calves in the experimental group was higher by 14.4% than in the control group. The average gain in weight in 28 days from birth was 18.52 kg in the experimental group and 16.27 kg in the control group during the same time period. The results suggest the positive effect of probiotics and prebiotics on the digestive tract. The probiotic and prebiotic substances contained in the feed ration of the experimental group demonstrably increased the live weight gain. A number of studies are described which report the positive effect of the use of probiotic feed supplements on the health and live weight gain of calves (Zhang et al., 2016;Raabis et al., 2019;Renaud et al., 2019). These results agree with the findings of Timmerman et al. (2005) and Frizzo et al. (2010). Morrell et al. (2008) demonstrated in his study that selected species of probiotic strains have a positive effect on the health of calves and can be also applied as diarrhea prevention. The low mortality and morbidity rate of new-borns are noticed when probiotics were included in the diet. According to Gaggía et al. (2010) the positive effect of probiotics and prebiotics in both groups with healthy and stressed animals was demonstrated. This effect was demonstrated not only on ruminants, but also on pigs and poultry.

Figure 1
Weight gain during the first 4 weeks after birth

Conclusions
The effect of probiotic and prebiotic feed supplements was not statistically proven, but the results indicate a positive effect on the increase in live weight gain. If probiotics and prebiotics are included in the feed ration, a positive effect on health, increased immunity and better weight gain can be expected.