Bioprospecting of probiotic bacteria producing bacteriocins and vitamins: an application as a feed additive in poultry for human consumption

Abstract

The use of probiotic microorganisms in the prevention and treatment of bacterial infections in animals intended for human consumption has been considered an efficient alternative to the use of antibiotics. In addition, recent studies have shown that certain substances produced by these microorganisms, such as bacteriocins, vitamins, fatty acids, exopolysaccharides, enzymes, among others, improve the immunity and development of their hosts. The most commonly used probiotic microorganisms in the food and pharmaceutical industries are those belonging to the lactic acid bacteria group (LAB), since they are considered safe by regulatory agencies in this area. However, it is known that the beneficial effects generated by probiotics are specific to each host and, frequently, interest compounds are synthesized in greater quantity by a given bacterial strain. Therefore, the main objective of the present study is the isolation and identification of probiotic LAB present in the intestinal microbiota of broiler. Strains with high capacity to produce bacteriocins and vitamin B complex (B2 and B9) will be selected. From this selection, compatibility tests will be carried out between the strains and, later, a "mix" of probiotics will be made. The strains that compose it will be individually micro-encapsulated and administered daily in the broiler diet, through feed and water, in order to ascertain the probiotic effectiveness of this mixture. Synthetic bacteriocins and commercial vitamins B2 and B9 will also be micro-encapsulated and administered to the broiler diet to understand the individual effect of these biomolecules on animal health. The results obtained with such structures will be compared with those obtained in assays not using microencapsulated structures.