Effects of fermented wheat bran and yeast culture on growth performance, immunity, and intestinal microflora in growing-finishing pigs

Abstract This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of feeding fermented wheat bran (FWB) and yeast culture (YC) on growth performance, immune levels, and intestinal microflora in growing-finishing pigs. In total, 96 crossbred pigs were randomly distributed into four treatments with four replicates pens and six pigs per pen. This study was performed using a 2 × 2 factor design: 1) CON (basal diet), 2) FWB (basal diet + 5% FWB), 3) YC (basal diet + 2% YC), and 4) FWB + YC (basal diet + 5% FWB + 2% YC). Dietary FWB supplementation significantly increased the average daily gain and significantly decreased the feed gain ratio of growing-finishing pigs (P < 0.05). Supplementation of FWB and YC improved the immune capacity and reduced the inflammation level of growing-finishing pigs (P < 0.05). In addition, pigs fed FWB, YC, and FWB + YC diets showed better intestinal development and morphology compared with those CON pigs. The relative abundance of Streptococcus in the FWB group was significantly lower than that in the CON group (P < 0.05), and the relative abundance of probiotics (unclassified_f_Lachnospiraceae, Turicibacter) increased significantly (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the relative abundance of probiotics (Lactobacillus, norank_f_Muribaculaceae) in the YC group was significantly increased compared with the CON group (P < 0.05). The results of this study observed positive effects of FWB and YC on growing-finishing pigs, which provides insights into the application of biological feed in swine industry.