Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41240268›Full record

SynthesisProbiotics and antimicrobial proteins2026

A Meta-analysis on the Effects of Postbiotics on Growth Performance and Gut Morphology in Broiler Chickens.

Roshan Riaz, Hafz Muhammad Nouman

Abstract readMeta-Analysis
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Roshan RiazDepartment of Animal Nutrition and Nutritional Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafkas University, Kars, Turkey. roshan.riaz@kafkas.edu.tr.
Hafz Muhammad NoumanDepartment of Animal Nutrition and Nutritional Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Selçuk University, Konya, Turkey.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Recent research has highlighted the potential of postbiotics as alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) in broiler production. The impact of postbiotics on growth performance and gut health in broilers has shown inconsistent findings, influenced by parameters such as postbiotic type, dosage, and delivery techniques. This meta-analysis aimed to assess the impact of postbiotics on broiler growth performance, including average daily gain (ADG), body weight (BW), feed intake (FI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR), in addition to gut morphology metrics, such as villus height (VH) and crypt depth (CD). A comprehensive search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. A total of 30 studies were selected from an initial group of 413 studies. The research included randomized controlled trials and observational studies published from 2015 to 2025. Effect sizes were computed using Cohen's d, while publication bias was evaluated through funnel plots and Egger's test. The Cochran Q test was used to assess heterogeneity among studies, employing a random-effects model for cases with statistically significant heterogeneity. Subgroup analyses were conducted according to postbiotic type, sample size, and age of broilers. The meta-analysis results indicated a positive impact of postbiotics on ADG and BW, especially for bacterial-based postbiotics such as Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Bacillus subtilis. The meta-analysis also indicated a positive impact of fermented based postbiotics on feed intake (FI) of broilers. Nonetheless, the impact on gut morphology was inconsistent, with considerable diversity noted among studies. Heterogeneity was significant, with variables including postbiotic type, sample size, and age of broilers influencing outcome variability. In conclusion, although postbiotics have potential as substitutes for AGPs, their impact on grill growth and gut health remains inconsistent. This study highlights the necessity for more research to standardize postbiotic therapies and investigate their long-term impacts on poultry productivity.

Indexed as

ChickensGastrointestinal TractProbioticsAnimal FeedAnimalsBody Weight GainBroilersConversion RatioGrowth PerformanceGut HealthMeta-AnalysisPostbiotics

Identifiers

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.