Effects of Adding Different Levels of Selenium-Enriched Saccharomyces cerevisiae on Productive Performance, Antioxidative Capacity, and Cecal Microbiota of Heat-Stress Broilers

Elbaz, Ahmed M.; Ashmawy, Eman S.; Ali, Safaa A. M.; Gad, Ghada G.; Sallam, Mohamed Gamal

doi:10.21608/ejvs.2025.330828.2450

Effects of Adding Different Levels of Selenium-Enriched Saccharomyces cerevisiae on Productive Performance, Antioxidative Capacity, and Cecal Microbiota of Heat-Stress Broilers

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Animal and Poultry Nutrition Department, Desert Research Center, Mataria, Cairo, Egypt.

² Animal and Poultry Physiological Department, Desert Research Center, Mataria, Cairo, Egypt

³ Poultry Production Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, Egypt

⁴ Animal Production Department, Agricultural and Biology Research Institute, National Research Centre, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt.

10.21608/ejvs.2025.330828.2450

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of selenium-enriched Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Se-enriched S. cerevisiae) supplementation on growth performance, blood serum lipids, cecal microbiota, and antioxidative capacity of heat-stressed broilers. One-day-old 300 chicks (Ross 308) were randomly assigned into four groups, each consisted of five replicates (15 chicks/ replicate). Chicks in the control group were received a basal diet without feed additives, while the other groups received the basal diets supplemented with three levels of Se-enriched S. cerevisiae (0.5, 1, and 1.5 g/kg diet, respectively). The results showed that adding Se-enriched S. cerevisiae significantly increased body weight gain and decreased feed conversion ratio (P < 0.05). Additionally, supplementing Se-enriched S. cerevisiae showed higher (P < 0.05) activities of serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), but lower malondialdehyde (MDA) content compared to the control group. Se-enriched S. cerevisiae supplements enhance the metabolism of blood lipids by lowering cholesterol and LDL levels and increasing HDL levels, likewise raising blood triiodothyronine (T3) concentration. Se-enriched S. cerevisiae modified the cecal microbial content by increasing Lactobacillus count and decreasing Escherichia coli count compared to those of the control group. It could be concluded that adding Se-enriched S. cerevisiae to the diet of heat-stressed broilers had an effective impact on enhancing growth performance, dressing percentage, lipid metabolism, oxidative status, and modifying cecal beneficial microbiota.

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