August 27, 2010

Research shows chicory inulin benefits intestinal health

A research study documented in the Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition indicated that adding to the feed of inulin obtained from chicory improves villi properties in the intestines of broilers.

Chicory (Cichorium intybus) belongs to plants of the Compositae family accumulating energy in the form of inulin fructan.

Chicory, a prebiotic, is a fermentable oligosaccharide and oligofructose that may affect the intestinal mucosal architecture and the electrophysiological parameters.

The study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of adding chicory fructans in feed on the intestinal morphology and electrogenic transport of glucose in broilers.

Four hundred, day-old broiler chicks were randomly divided into two groups for five weeks.

The dietary treatments were (i) control, (ii) basal diets supplemented with the dried, grinded ground chicory pulp containing inulin (1kg of chicory/tonne of the starter and grower diets).

The study found that addition of chicory to broilers diet increased the duodenal villus height, villus width and villus height to crypt depth ratio and decreased the villus height and crypt depth in both jejenum and ileum.

Furthermore, dietary chicory relatively modified the small intestinal electrogenic transport of glucose in broilers.