Kwabena Owusu Ansah

Feed manufacturing technology is the applied science of transforming raw agricultural commodities into safe, nutritionally balanced, and physically acceptable animal feeds. This chapter provides a rigorous, integrated treatment of the core technological processes underpinning the modern compound feed industry. Beginning with the mathematical and biological principles of diet formulation – from the Ideal Protein concept through linear programming optimisation – the chapter progresses through the physics of particle size reduction, the thermochemistry of conditioning, pelleting, flaking, and extrusion, and the microbial ecology of ensiling for forages and high-moisture grains. Each unit operation is examined both for its engineering rationale and for its consequences on nutrient bioavailability, anti-nutritional factor status, and pathogen load. The chapter concludes with a comprehensive treatment of quality control, from incoming ingredient inspection through HACCP-based hazard management to finished-product traceability, and includes new sections on digitalisation and sustainability. Throughout, the unifying theme is that every processing decision either adds to or subtracts from the ultimate objective: delivering bioavailable nutrients efficiently, safely, and sustainably to the consuming animal.

This study evaluated the effects of Pediococcus pentosaceus GT001 on Salmonella typhimurium (S. typhimurium)-challenged broiler chickens. Two hundred Ross 708 broiler day-old chicks with comparable weight were distributed at random into four treatments with five replicates and ten chicks per replicate. The following were the treatment groups: (B) basal diet (control); (B + S) basal diet and birds were challenged with S. typhimurium at 1.0 × 10⁷ cfu/g; (B + P) basal diet + Pediococcus pentosaceus GT001 at 4.0 × 10⁸ cfu/g; (B + P + S) basal diet + P. pentosaceus GT001 at 4.0 × 10⁸ cfu/g and birds were challenged with S. typhimurium at 1.0 × 10⁷ cfu/g. There was a significant reduction (p < 0.05) in the body weight of the Salmonella-infected birds compared to the other treatment groups. However, the FCRs of the broilers were comparable among the different treatment groups (p > 0.05). The lipid profile and liver function indices measured were significantly enhanced in the P. pentosaceus GT001-supplemented groups (B + P and B + P + S) compared to the group that was Salmonella-challenged (p < 0.05) but were similar to those in the control group. The serum antioxidant activities, such as the T-AOC, SOD, CAT, GHS-Px and MDA, were significantly improved in the P. pentosaceus GT001-supplemented groups (B + P and B + P + S) (p < 0.05). The MDA was similar in the B + P and B + P + S groups, but both were significantly lower than the control and the Salmonella groups. The administration of P. pentosaceus GT001 enhanced the lipase and amylase levels in both the serum and intestine of the broilers (p < 0.05). The immunoglobin (IgA, IgG, IgM) and cytokine (IL-10 and IL-6) levels in the serum were significantly higher in the B, B + P and B + P + S treatment groups (p < 0.05). The immune-related organs (bursa and spleen) were significantly influenced in the birds fed with P. pentosaceus GT001. No significant variation was noted among all the dietary treatments in terms of the measured meat quality indices. The small intestinal digesta content of the Salmonella load was below a detectable range after 14 days of infection (p < 0.05). No significant differences were observed among the different treatment groups in terms of the breast pH, drip loss and meat color (p > 0.05). The inclusion of P. pentosaceus GT001 also modified the community structure in the cecum. This indicates that it has health benefits and could be incorporated in the broiler diet.

Exploring alternatives to antibiotics is imperative in reducing antibiotic resistance and antibiotic residues in poultry products. The beneficial effects of antibiotic products derived from natural sources in comparison with the synthetic ones has been reported. Pediococcus pentosaceus has been applied as an animal growth bio-promoter and probiotic. To elucidate the protective mechanisms of P. pentosaceus, this study investigated the effects of different doses of P. pentosaceus supplementation on broiler growth performance, immune function, intestinal development and histomorphology. Five hundred (500) one-day-old Ross 708 broiler chicks were randomly enrolled into five experimental groups with 20 chicks per replicate. The treatments were imposed as follows: (T1) basal diet (control); (T2) basal diet with 1 g/kg antibact 3X; (T3) basal diet with P. pentosaceus GT001 at 4.0 × 10⁸ cfu/g; (T4) basal diet with P. pentosaceus GT001 at 8.0 × 10⁸ cfu/g; and (T5) basal diet with P. pentosaceus GT001 at 1.2 × 10⁹ cfu/g. Dietary inclusion of P. pentosaceus GT001 at 4.0 × 10⁸ cfu/g significantly improved body weight gain, feed intake and lipid profile of the broilers compared to the control group (p < 0.05). The addition of P. pentosaceus GT001 significantly improved the intestinal pH of the broilers. The digestive enzymes of the broilers were impacted with the supplementation of P. pentosaceus GT001 at 4.0 × 10⁸ cfu/g. The highest serum antioxidant production was observed in the P. pentosaceus-treated group compared to the control. P. pentosaceus GT001 at 4.0 × 10⁸ cfu/g increased the levels of serum cytokines and immunoglobin and improved the small intestinal morphology of the broilers in comparison with the control. The load of Pedococcus spp was similar among T3, T4 and T5 but significantly higher than that of the control (T1) and the antibiotics (T2)-fed birds. The load of E. coli in the gut was significantly reduced in T3, T4 and T5 compared to T1 and T2. There was no Salmonella growth among the treatments. This study highlights the importance of probiotics in broiler diets and suggests that Pediococcus pentosaceus GT001 could be used as a feasible substitute to antimicrobials in broiler production.