Effect of Leukonostoccitreum SK2556 fermented korean aged garlic extract (KAGE) on feed intake, production performance, egg quality, odor gas emission from feces, excreta microbiota and hematological profiles in laying hens

Abstract Text: The goal of this study was to investigate the impacts of dietary supplementation with korean aged garlic extract (KAGE) fermented by Leukonostoccitreum SK2556 on feed intake, production performance, egg quality, odor gas emission from feces, excreta microbiota and hematological profiles in laying hen. A total of 384, 54 week (ISA- brown) laying hens were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatments with 8 replications per treatment and 12 adjacent cages as a replication (hens were caged individually).The experimental treatments were: 1) CON (Basal diet), 2) KAGE1 (CON + 0.05% Fermented Aged Garlic Feed Additive), 3) KAGE2 (CON + 0.1% Fermented Aged Garlic Feed Additive), 4) KAGE3 (CON + 0.2% Fermented Aged Garlic Feed Additive). KAGE compounds were analysed by HPLC methods, IgG in the serum were then analysed using anautomatic biochemistry blood analyser (HITACHI747, Tokoyo, Japan), WBC, RBC and lymphocyte concentrations using an automatic blood analyser(ADVIA120, Bayer, Tarrytown, NY, USA) and fecal Lactobacillus and E. coli shedding were measured by using MacConkey agar plates and lactobacilli medium III agar plates. At 3 week, laying hen fed with KAGE showed higher yolk height than CON (9.38, 9.47, 9.48 vs. 9.17 mm; P<0.05). In the next week, KAGE3 proved better yolk height along with egg shell thickness compared to CON (9.47mm, 41.75mm^-2 vs. 9.18mm, 40.26 mm^-2; P<0.05). Likewise, 0.1% and 0.2% KAGE had meaningful higher value(96.23, 96.08 vs. 93.99; P<0.05) on haugh unit than CON diets. In the last week of experiment, results showed that KAGE2 and KAGE3 treatment improved Yolk height and egg shell thickness compared with basal diet (9.52, 9.52 vs. 9.25 mm; 41.89, 41.93 vs. 40.26 mm^-2; P<0.05). Haugh unit was influenced by the 0.2% KAGE over CON (96.42 vs. 94.49; P<0.05). However, laying hen feed with KAGE showed no significant result on feed intake, production performance, excreta gas production and microbiota and blood composes in any level of experiment. In a nut shell, our findings demonstrated that the administration of KAGE at a level of 0.1% and/or 0.2% can improve yolk height, haugh unit and egg shell thickness in laying hen.

Keywords: aged garlic extract; laying hens; Leukonostoccitreum SK2556; haugh unit; gas emission