PARTNER FEATURE ▶▶▶
A plant-based approach to a healthy gut
Plant-based products have become popular in the past decade due to their potential effects on gut health. A promising solution is offered by the plant- based isoquinoline alkaloids, which support intestinal integrity and help broilers to cope better with challenging conditions such as heat stress.
BY TOBIAS STEINER AND SOPHIE-CHARLOTTE WALL, PHYTOBIOTICS FUTTERZUSATZSTOFFE GMBH, GERMANY
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nimal health, especially gut health, is fundamental for efficient animal production. Not only is the gut the key organ for digestion and nutrient absorp- tion, it is also a crucial immune organ. Further-
more, the gut interacts with other organ systems including the lungs, the skin and the brain. These interactions highlight the importance of the gut for overall animal health. Especially in modern high-yielding genetics, periods of enhanced stress, such as weaning, diet change, heat stress or antibiotic administration, can easily perturb gut health.
What is gut health? Gut health refers to the physiological functioning of the gas- trointestinal tract. Given this vague definition, the question arises how we can improve gut health if we don’t know what
Figure 1 - Relative differences to control group of blood parameters and mRNA expression in broilers supplemented with IQs.
Serum FITC-d (µ/mL)
Plasma TBARS (Nmol/mL)
mRNA Expression of iNOS
exactly it means. And how can we measure it to determine whether the interventions we choose to improve gut health are effective? The absence of disease alone does not define a healthy gut. However, as discussed by Kogut and others (2017), gut health might be described based on four underlying criteria:
• Effective digestion and absorption of feed • Normal, stable intestinal microbiota • Effective barrier function • Effective immune function
If these criteria are met, the gut can function in equilibrium and withstand stressors, thus maintaining animal health and productivity.
Nutritional, plant-based strategies Much scientific research has focused on developing strategies to support gut health and this has resulted in an ever-increas- ing number of gut health products on the market, including organic acids, pro- and prebiotics, algae, enzymes and plant-derived compounds. Plant-derived products became popular in the past decade due to their potential effects on gut health. The active ingredients of such products are usual- ly secondary plant metabolites, including alkaloids, terpe- noids, flavonoids or saponins. These products are either made of dried and ground botanical materials (e.g. leaf or bark), ex- tracts (e.g. essential oils or non-volatile extracts) or pure ac- tive principles (mostly essential oil compounds such as thy- mol). Several plant-derived compounds such as essential oils enhance palatability, while others are antioxidative or anti-in- flammatory. Antimicrobial effects of plant-derived products usually occur only in in vitro experiments with relatively high concentrations that exceed commercial use levels in feed. The commercial efficacy of plant-based feed additives depends on several factors related to housing, diet, animal health and general performance. These factors vary between farms, of- ten even between different animal houses on the same farm.
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Reduction of heat stress effects Frequently, the effects of a plant-based product are more pronounced under challenging conditions (e.g. high stock- ing density, dietary challenges, exposure to pathogens or elevated temperature) as opposed to clean conditions in ac-
Difference vs. Control Group (%)
PHOTO: RONALD HISSINK
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