{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T11:10:40Z","timestamp":1785409840681,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":44,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,21]],"date-time":"2026-07-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1784592000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001809","name":"National Natural Science Foundation of China","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["31360553"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["31360553"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001809","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001809","name":"National Natural Science Foundation of China","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["32360880"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["32360880"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001809","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"award":["31360553"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["31360553"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01h0zpd94","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["32360880"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["32360880"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01h0zpd94","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004479","name":"Natural Science Foundation of Jiangxi Province","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["20202ACBL205009"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["20202ACBL205009"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004479","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Microorganisms"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Feeding animals with soybean meal (SBM) fermented by probiotics normally confers benefits. This study evaluated the growth-promoting effects of SBM fermented with Bacillus subtilis M2 (M2-FSBM), a probiotic strain with antimicrobial activity, as a replacement for conventional SBM in chicken diets. A total of 264 one-day-old Dongxiang green-shell laying-type chickens were randomly assigned to four groups (six replicates\/group, 11 birds\/replicate) and fed a basal diet with 0% (control, with 35% SBM), 25%, 50%, or 75% of SBM replaced by M2-FSBM for 45 days. Growth performance, feed consumption, serum insulin-like growth factor and epidermal growth factor, small intestinal morphology, and cecal microbiota diversity were evaluated. Compared with the control, M2-FSBM replacement significantly increased body weight at day 15 (all replacement levels) and day 30 (50% and 75% groups), and at day 45 (75% group) (p &lt; 0.05). The improved growth was attributed to increased average daily feed intake rather than improved feed conversion ratio. The 75% M2-FSBM group showed significantly increased villus height in the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum, and elevated jejunal villus height-to-crypt depth ratio (p &lt; 0.05). Cecal microbiota analysis revealed increased abundances of Faecalibacterium and Negativibacillus and decreased abundances of Mediterraneibacter, Blautia, and unclassified_f_Lachnospiraceae, while Lactobacillus and Limosilactobacillus remained stable. Replacing SBM with M2-FSBM improves growth performance in young chickens, likely through increased feed intake and improved intestinal morphology, accompanied by beneficial modulation of cecal microbiota. M2-FSBM shows promise as a growth-promoting alternative feed material for poultry.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/microorganisms14071589","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,21]],"date-time":"2026-07-21T08:14:27Z","timestamp":1784621667000},"page":"1589","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Bacillus subtilis M2-Fermented Soybean Meal Improves Growth Performance and Modulates Cecal Microbiota in Dongxiang Green-Shell Laying-Type Chicken"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Huifang","family":"Lu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, No. 1101, Zhimin Avenue, Nanchang 330045, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lidan","family":"Zhou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, No. 1101, Zhimin Avenue, Nanchang 330045, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Enchao","family":"Yu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Animal Science, Jiangxi Agricultural Engineering Vocational College, No. 266, Site Avenue, Zhangshu 331200, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xinru","family":"Cai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, No. 1101, Zhimin Avenue, Nanchang 330045, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jinhua","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, No. 1101, Zhimin Avenue, Nanchang 330045, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Qiufen","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, No. 1101, Zhimin Avenue, Nanchang 330045, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-9310-7159","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Baosheng","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, No. 1101, Zhimin Avenue, Nanchang 330045, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"850","DOI":"10.1080\/10408398.2011.613534","article-title":"Advances of research on glycinin and beta-conglycinin: A review of two major soybean allergenic proteins","volume":"54","author":"Wang","year":"2014","journal-title":"Crit. 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