Khaoula Arhlam

Title : Effects of probiotic, prebiotic, and synbiotic supplementation on the growth and health of broiler chickens

Abstract:

The surge in chicken consumption, driven by its affordability and accessibility, has led to the widespread use of antibiotics as growth enhancers. However, this practice has faced significant criticism due to concerns about antibiotic resistance in humans and the presence of chemical residues in meat and waste. Responding to these concerns, scientists have investigated alternative feed additives like pro-prebiotics, enzymes, and organic acids. Our research focuses on evaluating three treatments for their impact on the growth performance of Ross broiler chickens, comparing vaccinated and unvaccinated subgroups. These treatments include administering Bacillus subtilis as a probiotic, FOS as a prebiotic, or a combination synbiotic through feed or water. We closely monitored daily and weekly Feed Intake (FI), Body Weight Gain, and mortality rates throughout the study. Over the course of the trial, the average weight of the chickens increased from 50g to 2500g. Notably, the unvaccinated group receiving the probiotic treatment exhibited the lowest Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR), particularly from day 29 onwards. Additionally, a mortality rate of 0% has been displayed for the probiotic ans synbiotic vaccinated group alongside the synbiotic unvaccinated group.

Biography:

Edward studied Chemistry at the Sofia University, Bulgaria and graduated as MS in 1999. She then joined the research group of Prof. James at the Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IGIC-BAS). She received her PhD degree in 2004 at the same institution. After one year postdoctoral fellowship supervised by Dr Williams at the Catalysis and Spectrochemistry Laboratory, France she obtained the position of an Associate Professor at the IGIC. She has published more than 70 research articles in SCI(E) journals.