Effects of Simple and Microencapsulated Lactobacillus acidophilus With or Without Inulin on the Broiler Meat Quality Infected by Avian Influenza Virus (H9N2)

The aims of the present study were to investigate the effects of simple and microencapsulated Lactobacillus acidophilus as probiotic with or without inulin as prebiotic on meat quality of broiler infected by avian influenza virus (H9N2). Two hundred-day-old chicks were randomly allocated into 14 groups based on simple, microencapsulated probiotic and prebiotic and based on vaccination and challenge with H9N2 virus. Groups 1–7 contained 20 chicks, and groups 8–12 and 14 contained 10 chicks. Group 13 was derived from group 1 with 10 chicks at challenge day with avian influenza virus (AIV). Half of the groups were vaccinated by H9N2 vaccine on day 5. All groups except the negative control and positive vaccine control were challenged with 106.5 EID50 of low-virulence H9N2 AIV at day 21. Each bird was received 109 CFU of simple or microencapsulated probiotic on days 0 and 17 by gavage. Prebiotic as dose as 0.1 % of feed weight was used daily. Increase in water-holding capacity, dry matter, ash and protein content, and decrease in dripping loss plus beneficial changes in lightness and redness of breast meat were detected in response to probiotic especially microencapsulated synbiotic. In conclusion, probiotic alone or with prebiotic was able to improve the physicochemical properties of chicken breast muscle in both healthy and AIV-infected chickens.