Oregano powder reduces Streptococcus and increases SCFA concentration in a mixed bacterial culture assay

• Published in: PloS one 2019-12, Vol.14 (12), p.e0216853-e0216853
• Main Authors: Bauer, Benjamin W, Gangadoo, Sheeana, Bajagai, Yadav Sharma, Van, Thi Thu Hao, Moore, Robert J, Stanley, Dragana
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acids; Alternatives; Animal feed; Animal feeding and feeds; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Antibiotics; Antiinfectives and antibacterials; Antimicrobial agents; Bacteria; Biology and Life Sciences; Biotechnology; Butyric acid; Cell culture; Cells, Cultured; Chickens - growth & development; Chickens - microbiology; Consumers; Culture Media; Disease transmission; Drug resistance; Economic impact; EDTA; Farming; Fatty acids; Fatty Acids, Volatile - metabolism; Feed industry; Feeds; Foodborne diseases; Genes; Growth promoters; Health aspects; Human populations; Illnesses; Impact analysis; Infection; Kinases; Legal fees; Meat; Medicine and Health Sciences; Microbial activity; Microbial drug resistance; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Microbiology; Microbiota; Microbiota (Symbiotic organisms); Microorganisms; Morphology; Obesity; Oils & fats; Oregano; Origanum - chemistry; Pathogens; Poultry; Powder; Powders - pharmacology; Probiotics; Research and Analysis Methods; RNA; rRNA 16S; Salmonella; Saturated fatty acids; Streptococcus; Streptococcus - drug effects; Streptococcus - metabolism; Technology; Vinegar; Weight control
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0216853

Food borne illnesses have a world-wide economic impact and industries are continuously developing technologies to reduce the spread of disease caused by microorganisms. Antimicrobial growth promoters (AGPs) have been used to decrease microbiological infections in animals and their potential transfer to humans. In recent years there has been a global trend to remove AGPs from animal feed in an attempt to reduce the spread of antimicrobial resistant genes into the human population. Phytobiotics, such as oregano powder, are one of the potential replacements for AGPs due to their well-established antimicrobial components. 16S rRNA gene amplicons were used to determine the effect of oregano powder (1% w/v) on the microbiota of mixed bacterial cell cultures, which were obtained from the ceca of traditionally grown meat chickens (broilers). Oregano powder had a mild effect on the microbial cell cultures increasing Enterococcus faecium, rearranging ratios of members in the genus Lactobacillus and significantly reducing the genus Streptococcus (p = 1.6e-3). Beneficial short chain fatty acids (SCFA), acetic and butyric acid, were also significantly increased in oregano powder supplemented cultures. These results suggest that oregano powder at a concentration of 1% (w/v) may have beneficial influences on mixed microbial communities and SCFA production.