TechnoSpore® in Broilers: A Meta-Analysis.

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The poultry industry is expanding rapidly, and it is essential to improve sustainability in production. Changes in key performance indicators have resulted from advancements in the field of broiler breeding. Indeed, modern broiler chickens have substantially greater growth rates, feed efficiency, and carcass yield than their predecessors, while minimizing resource use. However, this progress has come at a cost: reduced immunocompetence and increased vulnerability to infectious diseases. In high-density production systems, where pathogen load and transmission rates are inherently elevated, these genetically fast-growing birds are more susceptible to outbreaks.

This amplifies the economic burden on producers through increased mortality, treatment costs, and performance losses. Growing evidence suggests that genetic selection for rapid growth also alters the gut microbiome, often reducing its diversity and stability compared to slower-growing or heritage breeds. These traditional lines typically harbor more diverse and balanced microbial communities, which are associated with greater immune resilience and disease resistance. In contrast, fast-growing birds often exhibit microbiome shifts that impair gut barrier function and promote pro-inflammatory or opportunistic bacteria. Together, these genetic and microbial vulnerabilities create a biologically fragile system in which even minor infections can escalate rapidly, leading to significant and recurrent economic losses.

Faced with these challenges, microbial management in poultry production has gained renewed importance. While antibiotics have long been used to control infections and support growth, their widespread use is now under increasing pressure due to concerns about antimicrobial resistance, evolving regulations, and shifting consumer expectations. This has driven interest in alternative strategies that support bird health without relying on pharmaceuticals. In this context, it is generally accepted that probiotics have the potential to improve weight gain, final body weight, feed digestion and conversion, by stabilizing the gut microbiome, reinforcing intestinal barrier function, and modulating immune responses. By addressing some of the root causes of infection susceptibility, probiotics offer a more sustainable and preventive approach to maintaining health and productivity in modern broiler systems.

Probiotics are live microorganisms that, when administered in appropriate amounts, provide health benefits to the host. There are two primary categories of bacterial probiotics in animal nutrition: spore-forming bacteria and lactic acid bacteria—each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Spore-forming bacteria are heat-stable, which makes them a suitable addition to pelleted feeds. These bacteria are primarily used in monogastric animals and produce digestive enzymes to improve feed conversion. They are especially known to inhibit gram-positive pathogens. Lactic acid bacteria are frequently used in young animals due to their rapid activation in the gastrointestinal tract when compared to other probiotics. These bacteria are known for their ability to produce lactic acid and have been found to be effective against gram-negative pathogens.

One species of bacteria combines the best of both—Bacillus coagulans. This is currently the only known probiotic that is both heat stable and produces large amounts of lactic acid. This means that this probiotic survives the pelleting process, inhibits gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, produces digestive enzymes, and supports overall improvement of the intestinal environment.

Studies have shown that Biochem's unique strain of this exceptional probiotic, Bacillus coagulans DSM 32016, can improve protein digestion, modulate and balance the intestinal microbiota, and stimulate the immune system. This can improve feed conversion, strengthen the immune defense and intestinal barrier function, and promote a stable, balanced microbial mix. These health-promoting effects, which are linked to improved performance and reduced mortality, have been clearly demonstrated in poultry.

TechnoSpore^® is the first B. coagulans-based probiotic registered in the EU for animal nutrition, and it remains the only one available for this use. TechnoSpore^®, through extensive testing in vivo, has been shown to:

TechnoSpore^® was tested across 25 farms in Central Europe over 119 cycles with 3.2 million birds. From September to December 2023, a multi-strain strain probiotic was supplemented at 500 g/ton (1.6 x 10⁹ CFU/kg feed). From February to December 2024 the multiple-strain probiotic was replaced by TechnoSpore^® administered at 400 g/ton (1.0 x 10⁹ CFU/kg feed). The feed formulation remained unchanged throughout the entire trial period.

The performance of birds was enhanced through supplementation of TechnoSpore^®. Both the technical FCR (based on final body weight) and the economical FCR (based on carcass weight) decreased with TechnoSpore^® supplementation, which highlights TechnoSpore^®’s ability to enhance nutrient utilization (Figure 1). Moreover, the increases noted in final body weight and daily weight gain were statistically significant in TechnoSpore^® supplemented birds (p = 0.03).

Figure 1: Feed conversion (both technical and economical), final body weight, and daily weight gain were improved in birds supplemented with TechnoSpore^® compared with birds supplemented with a multi-strain probiotic.

In birds fed TechnoSpore^®, mortality was reduced by 5 % and the amount of birds rejected and/or culled birds was reduced by 7.1 % (Figure 2). In addition, analysis of the collected data revealed that the European Production Efficiency Factor (EPEF) improved by more than 4.7 % with TechnoSpore^® supplementation, trending towards statistical significance (p = 0.09; Figure 2). The EPEF can be used to compare broiler results from different flocks and different regions. This factor standardizes technical results, taking into account feed conversion, mortality, and daily gain.

Figure 2: Mortality rate of broiler and rejected/culled animals in flocks supplemented with TechnoSpore^® compared with birds supplemented with a multi-strain probiotic.

Overall, this meta-analysis from 3.2 million broilers suggests that TechnoSpore^® may be an efficient tool to support improved performance, feed conversion, efficacy, and overall fitness. Despite the comparison being against historical data, the feed formulation remained unchanged throughout the trial period, thereby strengthening the relevance of the observed effects. These trends indicate a positive impact of TechnoSpore^® under commercial production conditions.