The effects of liquid versus spray-dried Laminaria digitata extract on selected bacterial groups in the piglet gastrointestinal tract (GIT) microbiota

• We studied effects of spray drying liquid seaweed extracts on biological properties.
• The extracts effects were studied after feeding on the porcine GIT microbiota.
• The liquid extract was superior in increasing the titre of beneficial bacteria.
• PCR-DGGE showed extracts caused the emergence of L. agilis in colonic Lactobacillus.

In this study, the effects of supplementing animal feed with a liquid and spray-dried fucoidan and laminarin extract, derived from the seaweed Laminaria digitata on the porcine gastrointestinal microbiota, specifically the communities of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and enterobacteria were evaluated. Twenty four piglets were fed one of three diets over a 21-day period to determine the effect that each had on the bacterial communities. The dietary treatments were as follows; (1) control diet, (2) control diet plus spray-dried formulation of laminarin fucoidan (L/F-SD) extract, (3) control diet plus a liquid formulation of (L/F-WS) extract. Control diet consisted of wheat, soya bean meal, soya oil and a vitamin and mineral mixture. The L/F-SD and L/F-WS supplemented diets had equal proportion of 500 ppm laminarin and fucoidan. At the end of the 21 day feeding period all animals were sacrificed and samples were collected from the ileum, caecum and colon. Counts were determined for Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and enterobacteria. Plate count analysis revealed that the L/F-SD diet caused a statistically significant 1.5 log and 2 log increases in the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium counts of ileum samples respectively. A greater difference was observed with the L/F-WS diet in that Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium increased by 2 log and 3 log respectively. Alterations in the Lactobacillus species composition of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) were analysed using specific PCR - denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE). The DGGE profiles indicated that Lactobacillus species richness decreased along the gastrointestinal tract i.e. the number of dominant species detected in the colon was less than those detected in the ileum and caecum irrespective of the diet consumed. Consumption of both the L/F-SD and L/F-WS diets resulted in a richer Lactobacillus species composition in the ileum, with the L/F-SD diet being associated the emergence of Lactobacillus agilis in the colon. The study indicated that the L/F-WS extract was superior to the L/F-SD extract in increasing the titre of beneficial bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT).