February 4, 2005
Feed enzymes and betaine help to replace antibiotic growth promoters
Feed enzymes and betaine could help poultry producers adapt to the forthcoming EU ban on antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs), meet increasing consumer demands for safe, affordable food and exploit the growing demand for 'natural' and 'organic' poultry products in markets outside the EU, according to Danisco Animal Nutrition.
Addressing a recent industry conference'Antimicrobial Growth Promoters: Worldwide ban on the horizon?' in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Dr Milan Hruby, Technical Services Manager - Poultry, Danisco Animal Nutrition, said:
" The pressure on the feed and animal production industries to profitably supply products which satisfy consumer demand for safe, high-quality, affordable food has never been greater. However, these sectors also face numerous practical challenges, not least of which is the prospect of a future without the benefit of AGPs. When the ban on their use within the EU comes into force in 2006, for example, it will affect not only poultry producers in the EU but also those in countries which export poultry products to the EU."
Although the response to AGPs depends on a number of factors, including farm management, exposure to pathogens, environmental stresses and diet, their use is well-recognised to improve the rate and uniformity of bird growth whilst reducing the incidence of certain bacterially-induced diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
Removing AGPs from diets typically increases the cost of poultry production by approximately 3% through poorer feed conversion. It also results in additional financial losses because of increased mortality and greater performance variability, together with a potentially higher risk of contamination and condemnation of carcasses in the processing plant. Litter quality may also be adversely affected, increasing the risk of carcass downgrades and microbial contamination with food poisoning bacteria.
Campylobacter jejuni and most types of Salmonella infections are of specific importance, as they constitute a health risk to consumers of poultry products. Other bacteria cause concern because they induce intestinal disease in the birds, reducing profitability by causing sub-clinical infections that reduce bird growth and feed conversion. Among the gut-specific pathogens, Clostridium perfringens is assumed to represent the main health problem associated with the ban on the use of AGPs.
Finding a solution
Looking to the future, Dr Hruby said that procedures published in 2003 regarding the use of some ionophore anticoccidials in the EU suggest that the legislative changes affecting poultry feed and production will not stop with the ban on AGPs. Consequently, he believes everyone in the poultry sector will need to adapt in order to maintain profitability. Dr Hruby commented:
" A range of nutritional and management measures is required to counteract the performance and economic losses associated with AGP withdrawal. Commercial and scientific evidence suggests that some commonly used feed additives such as feed enzymes and betaine, combined with changes in management, may offer considerable improvements in production economics. Other approaches such as feeding probiotic cultures, products that supply nutrients for beneficial microflora (prebiotics), organic acids and phytochemicals are all being actively researched and considered by the industry.
" The ultimate goal for the poultry producer is to adopt cost-effective consumer- friendly strategies that suppress the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria previously controlled by AGPs. One option is to minimise the nutrients available to disease-causing bacteria in the bird´s gut while at the same time maximising the nutrients available to the bird to achieve profitable growth.
"The use of high cost, highly digestible feed ingredients, for example, limits the nutrient supply to the microflora, but although effective may not be the most economic option. Another nutritional approach is to use feed additives that improve the nutrient digestibility of the diet, thereby increasing absorption of nutrients and reducing microflora growth."
Feed enzymes have been used extensively in poultry fed wheat/barley-based diets for approximately 15 years and have a proven record of improving nutrient digestibility, bird performance and levels of body weight uniformity. More recently, scientists have also demonstrated the value of feed enzymes in improving performance in birds fed corn/soy or sorghum/soy-based diets.
Other feed additives can impact bird performance and nutrient digestibility through indirect mechanisms. Betaine, for example, can reduce lesion damage associated with small intestinal coccidia, resulting in improvements in nutrient digestibility, intestinal integrity and bird performance. These improvements in intestinal integrity and nutrient absorption during coccidia challenge also indirectly reduce nutrient supply to the gastrointestinal microflora. At the same time betaine can be used to replace some added methionine and all added choline, so reducing feed formulation costs.
Summing up, Dr Hruby commented:" Further research and commercial evaluation of AGP-free poultry feeds is required, although it is clear that the causes of microbial proliferation, especially of pathogenic bacteria, must be reduced via a combination of improved management practices and nutritional means. Research has proven that feed enzymes and betaine can be used cost-effectively in AGP-free diets to reduce feed costs whilst improving broiler growth and carcass quality."
Danisco Animal Nutrition, a division of leading global food ingredient specialist Danisco A/S (Denmark), pioneered the development and use of enzymes and betaine in animal nutrition and its products are now widely used by pig and poultry producers throughout the world. The company's mission is to provide sustainable animal nutrition solutions to meet consumers' demands for safe, high quality, affordable food, whilst helping to protect the environment.
Issued: 2 February, 2005.
For further information, please contact:
Andrea Barletta, Julian Cooksley,
Global Marketing Manager, Account Manager,
Danisco Animal Nutrition. Kendalls Communications.
Tel: +44 (0) 1672 517777 Tel: +44 (0) 1394 610022
Email: andrea.barletta@danisco.com Email:julian.cooksley@kendallscom.co.uk
