Effects of Green Tea Polyphenols and Fructo-oligosaccharides in Semi-purified Diets on Broilers` Performance and Caecal Microflora and Their Metabolites

Cao, B. H.; Karasawa, Y.; Guo, Y. M.

doi:2005.18.1.85

Article

Animal Breeding and Genetics

Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences 2005;18(1): 85-89.
https://doi.org/10.5713/ajas.2005.85 Published online April 19, 2005.

Effects of Green Tea Polyphenols and Fructo-oligosaccharides in Semi-purified Diets on Broilers` Performance and Caecal Microflora and Their Metabolites

B. H. Cao, Y. Karasawa, Y. M. Guo

Abstract

This study was conducted to examine the effects of green tea polyphenols (GTP) and fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) supplement on performance, counts of caecal microflora and its metabolites production. In female broiler chickens fed on semi-purified diets from 28 to 42 d of age, dietary green tea polyphenols (GTP) and fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) significantly reduced mortality (p<0.05). Dietary GTP significantly decreased the total count of caecal microflora, each colonic population count and caecal flora metabolites contents when compared to other groups (p<0.05). Dietary FOS did not influence the total count of caecal flora but it selectively increased Bifidobacteri and Eubacteria counts (p<0.05) and decreased the count of other microflora and concentrations of caecal phenols and indole (p<0.0.5). These results suggest that GTP and FOS in semi-purified diets can decrease mortality and change the caecal colonic flora population, but GTP shows antibiotic-like effects of non-selectively decreasing all colonic flora and then metabolites, and FOS acts selectively by increasing profitable microflora and decreasing production of caecal microflora metabolites besides volatile fatty acids.

Keywords: Broilers; Green Tea Polyphenols; Fructo-oligosaccharides; Performance; Caecal Microflora Count; Caecal Microflora Metabolites