Tofu Whey Wastewater as a Beneficial Supplement to Poultry Farming: Improving Production Performance and Protecting against Salmonella Infection

• Published in: Foods Vol. 12; no. 1; p. 79
• Main Authors: Shen, Xuehuai, Xu, Yayuan, Yin, Lei, Cheng, Jianghua, Yin, Dongdong, Zhao, Ruihong, Dai, Yin, Hu, Xiaomiao, Hou, Hongyan, Qian, Kun, Pan, Xiaocheng, Liu, Yongjie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 23.12.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Acids; antioxidant capacity; Body weight gain; Chemical oxygen demand; Chickens; Colonization; Digestive system; Digestive tract; Drinking water; Fermentation; Flora; Food; Food science; gut microbiota; immunity; Infections; Inflammation; Intestinal microflora; Intestine; Laboratory animals; Lactobacillus; Microorganisms; Pathogens; Plants (botany); Poultry; Poultry farming; Poultry production; production performance; Relative abundance; Salmonella; Soy products; Soybeans; Tofu; tofu whey wastewater; Wastewater; Whey; United States > US; Anhui China; China; poultry; antioxidant capacity; production performance; tofu whey wastewater; Salmonella enteritidis infection; immunity; gut microbiota
• ISSN: 2304-8158; 2304-8158
• DOI: 10.3390/foods12010079

Tofu whey wastewater (TWW) is a by-product of the tofu production process, and contains high amounts of organic products and . However, no studies have been reported on whether naturally fermented TWW can be used as a beneficial additive for poultry production. This study analyzed the main nutritional components and microbial flora of naturally fermented TWW from rural tofu processing plants and their effect on chick production performance, role in modulating the biochemical and immune parameters, and protection against ( ) infection. It was observed that the average pH of TWW was 4.08; therefore, the total viable count was 3.00 × 10 CFU/mL and the abundance of was 92.50%. Moreover, TWW supplementation increased the total weight gain and feed intake, reduced the feed/gain ratio, increased the length and relative weight of the gut, and reduced the colonization and excretion of in chickens. Additionally, TWW decreased oxidative damage and pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion caused by infection. In addition, TWW supplementation ensured the structure of the intestine remained relatively intact in -infected chicken. Furthermore, TWW markedly promoted the intestinal barrier integrity and up-regulated the relative abundance of , counteracting the changes in gut microbiota caused by infection in chicken. In conclusion, our data demonstrated that TWW could be used as a beneficial addition to poultry production, providing a research basis for the further development of TWW as a health care application in in food-producing animal.