Encapsulation of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum CRD7 in sub-micron pullulan fibres by spray drying: Maximizing viability with prebiotic and thermal protectants.

Pullulan was used as the wall material for microencapsulation of L. plantarum CRD7 by spray drying, while isomalto-oligosaccharides (IMO) was used as prebiotic. Also, the effect of different thermal protectants on survival rate during microencapsulation was evaluated. Taguchi orthogonal array design showed that pullulan at 14 % concentration, IMO at 30 % concentration and whey protein isolate at 20 % rate were the optimized wall material, prebiotic and thermal protectant, respectively for microencapsulation of L. plantarum. FESEM images revealed that the spray-dried encapsulates were fibrous similar to those produce by electrospinning, while fluorescence microscopy ascertained that most of the probiotic cells were alive and intact after microencapsulation. The adsorption-desorption isotherm was of Type II and the encapsulate had specific surface area of 1.92 m2/g and mean pore diameter of 15.12 nm. The typical amide II and III bands of the bacterial proteins were absent in the FTIR spectra, suggestive of adequate encapsulation. DSC thermogram showed shifting of melting peaks to wider temperature range due to interactions between the probiotic and wall materials. IMO at 30 % (w/w) along with WPI at 20 % concentration provided the highest storage stability and the lowest rate of cell death of L. plantarum after microencapsulation. Acid and bile salt tolerance results confirmed that microencapsulated L. plantarum could sustain the harsh GI conditions with >7.5 log CFU/g viability. After microencapsulation, L. plantarum also possessed the ability to ferment milk into curd with pH of 4.62.

Impact of synbiotics on growth performance and gut health in Murrah buffalo calves.

Synbiotics have been used as biotherapeutic supplements for prevention of new-born calf gastrointestinal disorders. Present study was conducted to evaluate the impact of fructo-oligosaccharide, mannan-oligosaccharide and inulin along with Lactobacillus plantarum CRD-7 and Lactobacillus acidophilus NCDC15 on the nutrient digestibility, growth performance and faecal microbial population of pre-ruminant buffalo calves. Twenty-four Murrah calves (5 days old) were randomly assigned to four groups of six calves in each using randomized block design. Calves in Group I (control) received only a basic diet of milk, calf starter and berseem with no additives. Calves in Group II (SYN1) were fed 6 g fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS) + Lactobacillus plantarum CRD-7 (100 ml). Calves in Group III (SYN2) were fed 9 g inulin + L. plantarum CRD-7 (50 ml), while calves in Group IV (SYN3) received 4 g MOS + L. acidophilus NCDC15 (200 ml) as fermented milk having 108 CFU/ml/calf/day in addition to the basal diet. The results revealed that digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, ether extract and average daily gain were all higher (P < 0.05) in SYN1 as compared to control group. The antioxidant enzyme activity, humoral and cell mediated immunity performed well in SYN1, SYN2 and SYN3 as compared to control. Diarrhoea and faecal scouring were lower (P < 0.05) in all supplemented groups than control. Faecal Lactobacilli and Bifidobacterium counts were also higher in SYN1 group followed by SYN2 and SYN3. Faecal ammonia, lactate, pH, and volatile fatty acids level were increased in SYN1 supplemented groups. The synbiotic combination of 6 g FOS + L. plantarum CRD-7 had better response on digestibility, average daily gain, antioxidant enzymes, immune response, faecal microbiota and metabolites and also reduce the faecal score and diarrhoea incidence. Therefore, supplementation of 6 g FOS + L. plantarum CRD-7 can be advised for general use in order to promote long-term animal production.

Effect of synbiotics on growth performance, gut health, and immunity status in pre-ruminant buffalo calves.

Synbiotics are employed as feed additives in animal production as an alternate to antibiotics for sustaining the gut microbiota and providing protection against infections. Dairy calves require a healthy diet and management to ensure a better future for the herd of dairy animals. Therefore, the present study was carried out to investigate the effect of synbiotics formulation on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, fecal bacterial count, metabolites, immunoglobulins, blood parameters, antioxidant enzymes and immune response of pre-ruminant Murrah buffalo calves. Twenty-four apparently healthy calves (5 days old) were allotted into four groups of six calves each. Group I (control) calves were fed a basal diet of milk, calf starter and berseem with no supplements. Group II (SYN1) calves were fed with 3 g fructooligosaccharide (FOS) + Lactobacillus plantarum CRD-7 (150 ml). Group III (SYN2) calves were fed with 6 g FOS + L. plantarum CRD-7 (100 ml), whereas calves in group IV (SYN3) received 9 g FOS + L. plantarum CRD-7 (50 ml). The results showed that SYN2 had the highest (P < 0.05) crude protein digestibility and average daily gain compared to the control. Fecal counts of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacterium were also increased (P < 0.05) in supplemented groups as compared to control. Fecal ammonia, diarrhea incidence and fecal scores were reduced in treated groups while lactate, volatile fatty acids and antioxidant enzymes were improved compared to the control. Synbiotic supplementation also improved both cell-mediated and humoral immune responses in buffalo calves. These findings indicated that synbiotics formulation of 6 g FOS + L. plantarum CRD-7 in dairy calves improved digestibility, antioxidant enzymes, and immune status, as well as modulated the fecal microbiota and decreased diarrhea incidence. Therefore, synbiotics formulation can be recommended for commercial use in order to achieve sustainable animal production.