Bacillus spp. were incorporated into the diet by centrifugation of the inoculum at 4000 ×ǥ for 10 min at 4 °C, then 400 mL of the inoculum (at a concentration of 107 CFU·mL− 1) was sprayed on 400 g of feed, transferred to an oven with air circulation (Marconi, Piracicaba, SP) for drying at 30 °C for 24 h, reaching the concentration of 1.15 × 104 CFU·g− 1. After drying, 1% cod liver oil (LabSynth® Diadema, SP) was added to both diets for pellet protection.