Abstract: Probiotics are defined as microbial food supplements which beneficially affect the host animal by improving its intestinal microbial balance. The probiotics were improved feed conversion for the target species, reduced morbidity or mortality and benefits for the consumer through improved product quality. In this study, we found that a combination of probiotics with different mechanisms of action could amplify the protective range of bio-therapeutic preparations and the potentiated probiotics are more effective than their components separately. Bacterial probiotics were effective in chickens, pigs and pre-ruminant calves, whereas yeasts and fungal probiotics were given better results in adult ruminants. Probiotics were enhanced the growth of many domestic animals improved the efficacy of forage digestion and quantity and quality of milk, meat and egg. Probiotics protected animals against pathogens, enhanced immune response, reduced antibiotic use and shows high index of safety. The trend for future could be focus on basic research to identify and characterize existing probiotics strains, determine optimal doses needed for certain strain and asses their stability through processing and digestion.
H.H. Musa , S.L. Wu , C.H. Zhu , H.I. Seri and G.Q. Zhu , 2009. The Potential Benefits of Probiotics in Animal Production and Health. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 8: 313-321.