The effect of different levels of Biomin®IMBO synbiotic supplement in diet on growth performance, apparent digestibility nutrients and some blood parameters fattening Zell lambs

In recent years, many countries and regulatory agencies, including the European Union, have banned the use of antibiotics and growth stimulants in animal nutrition, so it is necessary to find suitable alternatives to these compounds in animal feed, especially animal animals. Synbiotic supplements (a mixture of probiotics and prebiotics) reduce the population of pathogenic microbes in the gastrointestinal tract and improve the performance of the host animal by increasing their interaction. Probiotic, prebiotic, and synbiotic supplement can be controversial options for replacement with antibiotics and growth stimulants. Considering the effective effects of these beneficial additives on the growth performance of fattening animals, this study was performed to investigate the effect of different levels of Biomin®IMBO synbiotic supplements in diet on growth performance, apparent digestibility nutrients and some blood parameters fattening Zell lambs.

To perform this study, 24 mixed fattening Zell lambs were examined with a means age of 5±0.55 months and a means initial weight of 26±2 kg in a completely randomized design for 90 days. Experimental treatments included control treatment (without the addition of synbiotic supplement) and treatments containing 2.0, 4.0, and 6.0 g of synbiotic supplement per lamb per day. The synbiotic supplements used was Biomin®IMBO, which included the bacterium Enterococcus fascium and fructooligosaccharide and seaweed extract. The daily diet was given as a TMR to the animal twice and the amount consumed was recorded. Live weight measurement was performed every 14 days with 12 hours of feed and water deprivation. Measurement of the apparent digestibility of nutrients in the last days of the experiment as well as the study of carcass traits and blood parameters were performed on day 90 of the experiment.

The results of growth performance showed that there was a statistically significant difference between experimental treatments in daily weight gain and feed conversion ratio (P <0.05). Daily weight gain and feed conversion ratio improved significantly in the treatment containing 6.0 g of synbiotic supplement. The results of apparent digestibility nutrients in experimental diets showed that there was a statistically significant difference between dry matter, NDF and ADF between experimental treatments (p < 0.05). Treatments containing 4.0 g of synbiotic supplement had the highest apparent digestibility of dry matter and treatment containing 6.0 g of synbiotic supplement had the highest apparent digestibility of NDF and ADF. The results of experimental carcass traits at the end of the experiment showed that there was no statistically significant difference between the experimental treatments. The results of some blood parameters at the end of the experiment showed that there was a statistically significant difference in blood glucose and BUN levels between experimental treatments (P <0.05). Treatments containing 4.0 g of synbiotic supplement had the highest blood glucose levels and control treatments had the highest levels of BUN.

The overall result of the study showed that adding Biomin®IMBO synbiotic supplement at the level of 6.0 g in the diet improved daily weight gain and feed conversion ratio. There was also an improvement in the apparent digestibility nutrients in dry matter, NDF and ADF by consuming levels of 4.0 and 6.0 g of Biomin®IMBO synbiotic supplement.