Immunobiotic feed developed with Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. delbrueckii TUA4408L and the soymilk by-product okara improves health and growth performance in pigs

SUDA, YOSHIHITO; NANA SASAKI; KYOMA KAGAWA; MARIANO ELEAN; BINGHUI ZHOU; MIKADO TOMOKIYO; ISLAM, MD. AMINUL; MUHAMMAD SHAHID RIAZ RAJOKA; AKM HUMAYUN KOBER; TOMOYUKI SHIMAZU; SHINTARO EGUSA; YUJI TERASHIMA; ASO, HISASHI; IDEKA-OHTSUBO, WAKAKO; VILLENA, JULIO; KITAZAWA, HARUKI

Microorganisms

MDPI

Año: 2021 vol. 9 p. 921 - 929

Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. delbrueckii TUA4408L is able to differentially modulate theinnate immune response of porcine intestinal epithelial cells triggered by TLR4 activation. Thisstrain also has a remarkable ability to grow on plant substrates. These two immunological andbiotechnological characteristics prompted us to evaluate whether the soymilk by-product okarafermented with the TUA4408L strain can serve as an immunobiotic feed with the ability to beneficially modulate the intestinal immunity of piglets after weaning to improve their productivity. Our in vivo studies demonstrated that the administration of immunobiotic TUA4408L-fermented okara feed significantly increased piglet growth performance and meat quality. These positive effects were associated with the ability of the TUA4408L-fermented okara feed to beneficially modulate both intestinal microbiota and immunity in pigs. The immunobiotic feed improved the abundance of the beneficial bacteria Lactobacillus and Lactococcus in the gut of pigs, reduced blood markers of inflammation, and differentially regulated the expression of inflammatory and regulatory cytokines in the intestinal mucosa. These findings indicate that the immunobiotic TUA4408L-fermented okara feed could be an economical and environmentally friendly option to improve the growth performance and immune health of pigs.