Positive effect of fermented sorghum on productivity, jejunal histomorphology, and tight junction gene expression in broiler chickens

This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary fermented sorghum (FS) as a substitute for corn on growth performance, jejunal histomorphology, cecal short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) levels, and gene expression of tight junctions in broiler chickens. A total of 240 one-day-old male New Lohmann Indian River chicks were randomly divided into five groups, with each group receiving different dietary treatments: a control group (CTRL) with a basal diet, groups supplemented with 10 (NFS10) and 20 (NFS20) non-fermented sorghum, and groups supplemented with 10 (FS10) and 20 (FS20) fermented sorghum. Each group was further divided into six replications, with eight birds per replicate. Orthogonal contrasts were used to compare the feed treatments (fermented sorghum and non-fermented sorghum) to the control. The results revealed that the inclusion of 20 fermented sorghum significantly increased feed intake (FI, P = 0.005), body weight (BW; P = 0.025), and body weight gain (BWG; P = 0.010) compared to other groups. Additionally, the FS20 group exhibited a notable increase in villus height (P = 0.001). There were significant differences in cecal short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production among the treatment groups (P < 0.05). Furthermore, fermented sorghum notably upregulated the gene expression of occludin (OCLN, P = 0.008), without significant impacts on the expression of claudin-1 (CLDN-1), junctional adhesion molecules-2 (JAM-2), and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1). In conclusion, addition of 20 fermented sorghum in broiler diets could enhance growth performance and intestinal histomorphology, indicating its potential as a beneficial feed ingredient for poultry production. © 2024