Effects of green tea polyphenols and fructo-oligosaccharides in semi-purified diets on broilers' performance and caecal microflora and their metabolites

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.