Effects of a protected inclusion of organic acids and essential oils as antibiotic growth promoter alternative on growth performance, intestinal morphology and gut microflora in broilers.
This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of protected essential oils and organic acids mixture on poultry feeding. A total of 450 1-day-old Cobb 500 chicks were randomly allotted into three treatments with six replicates. Birds were offered a basal diet (C), basal diet with 0.15 g/kg enramycin premix (A) and basal diet with 0.30 g/kg protected essential oils and organic acids mixture product (P). The results showed that protected essential oils and organic acids mixture supplementation reduced average daily feed intake and ratio of feed to gain (F/G) at 22-42 days of age, and F/G during 1-42 days of age also declined (P < 0.05). Product supplementation improved spleen index, villus height and crypt depth of the jejunum at 42 days when compared with the control (P < 0.05). In addition, secretory immunoglobulin A level of ileal mucosa and trypsin and chymotrypsin activities of intestinal tract were higher in the P treatment. Bacterial sequence analysis of the intestinal tract revealed that protected essential oils and organic acids mixture supplementation changed gut microflora mainly in Lactobacillus. These data suggested that dietary mixture of organic acids and essential oils addition could be used in the poultry industry as an antibiotic growth promoter alternative.
College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.
Yanli
Y
Liu
College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.
Xin
X
Yang
College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.
Hongliang
H
Xin
College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.
Si
S
Chen
Jefo Nutrition Inc., Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada.
Chengbo
C
Yang
College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.
Yulan
Y
Duan
College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.
Xiaojun
X
Yang
D000143:Acids; D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000382:microbiology*; D002918:Chymotrypsin / Q000378:metabolism; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology; D000069196:Gastrointestinal Microbiome; D007071:Immunoglobulin A, Secretory / Q000378:metabolism; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism; D007778:Lactobacillus; D009822:Oils, Volatile; D014357:Trypsin / Q000378:metabolism; D015430:Weight Gain
D000143:Acids; D007071:Immunoglobulin A, Secretory; D009822:Oils, Volatile; D002918:Chymotrypsin; D014357:Trypsin
broiler; essential oils; growth performance; intestinal health; organic acids