Intestinal integrity It has been demonstrated that organic acid-supplemented meals protected gut cells against disruption by decreasing toxin synthesis in the gut, which in turn led to reduced mu- cosal permeability of the gut. Organic acids in different doses and combinations have resulted in improved villus height, width, crypt depth in the ileum, duodenum, and jejunum in broilers. It is reported that short chain fatty acids consisting of different blends of organic acid amended the gut health in broilers infected with necrotic enteritis. Also, that the antimi- crobial action exerted by the long-chain fatty acids produced from cranberry pomace fermentation promoted a better immunological response to the infectious bursal disease virus and the Newcastle disease virus. It also levelled up the meat’s nutritional quality.
Administration in broiler feed Administration of organic acids in broiler diet is a common problem which needs to be solved in order to improve their nutritional availability. Application of organic acid salts with sodium, potassium, or calcium provides a solid form with a better smell. In addition, microencapsulation, which includes the application of an undegradable film that envelopes the organic acid particles and allows a more effective release of these substances, is another solution. Furthermore, a combination of organic acids can be used to improve broil- ers’ performance and gut health. Mainly, short-chain fatty
acids reduce the number of Enterococcus spp. which infect one-day-old birds and they are more efficient in reducing the number of Faecalibacteria in broilers compared with medium-chain fatty acids. Researchers determined that wheat bran with a 280 µm particle size had a fast fermenta- tion which produced butyric acid. Butyric acid was involved in easing Salmonella propagation in the gut by applying an antimicrobial effect, which in turn improved broilers’ performance.
Conclusion Organic acids are a good alternative resource for antibiotics with growth-promoting effects, antimicrobial effects, and the potential to improve gut health and integrity. Organic acids provide a sustainable resource that can be used to maximise broilers’ performance and productivity. The remarkable po- tential of organic acids needs to be further developed with the application of molecular, biotechnological, and nano- technological science and technologies. In addition, further research is required to optimise organic acids dose, duration, concentration, and the exact mechanism of action to validate their beneficial uses in the broiler industry.
The information in this article has been extracted from the article “Prospects of organic acids as safe alternative to antibiotics in broiler chickens’ diet” published in the journal Environmental Science and Pollution Research (2022).
▶ ALL ABOUT FEED | Volume 30, No. 5, 2022 29
Including organ- ic acids in broiler feed improves feed intake, growth, feed efficiency, feed conversion ratio and performance.
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