With the start of work on a new facility in Oegstgeest, the Netherlands, DuPont marked itself out as a company serious about investing in research and infrastructure to support gut health work in animals. The new site – slated to open in 2020 – is set to have lab space focused on research and development work related “nutribiosis” or the interaction of nutrition, the microbiome and the functioning of the gut and immune system.
However, the company is not alone in this regard. Cargill also has been investing in ways to support gut health in young animals while reducing or eliminating the use of antibiotics.
The agri-giant recently started a group focused around work with health and technology on the understanding that addressing gut health is a way to support disease prevention.
Not all work to address gut health starts with the animal being raised. Some research, like that being done by Novus, looks to address gut health in poultry and swine starting with the nutrition of the hen and the sow.
Focusing on maternal nutrition can be a way to improve gut health and the gut immune system in animals prior to birth or hatch, the company said. The boost may give young animals a way to better face early challenges.
Researchers at North Carolina State University also have been tracking the use of in-ovo feeding to help young chickens prior to hatching. Birds grow so quickly that the pre-hatch and neo-natal period is becoming increasingly important and researchers are finding that nutritional intervention may help program gut microflora and improve gut development and nutrient absorption.
One international research group focused on the use of boric acid with broilers as a way to support birds through a salmonella challenge. The feed additive may improve intestinal health, support homeostasis in the intestinal tract and reduce salmonella levels.
Similarly, lauric acid has been of interest to researchers in Brazil as a way to boost weight gain and support bird health without the use of an antibiotic.
On the swine side, researchers have been exploring the use of algae to generate beta-glucans for use in piglet feed.
The feed additive has been linked to a reduction in diarrhea episodes following a disease challenge, which was attributed to improved gut barrier function and an boosted immune response.
Following the increasing interest to raise livestock without the use of antibiotics, several feed additives have been evaluated for the role they could play in protecting or supporting animals through a period of disease.
One such trial provided an essential-oil based feed additive to chickens facing a necrotic enteritis challenge. The additive included a blend of thymol and carvacrol and was found to reduce the presence of gut lesions following the disease.
Another research team looked to direct-fed microbials to support birds through a disease challenge. Birds receiving the feed additive were found to have reduced gut lesions compared to control group birds facing the same experience.
Fermented feeds may be an option for swine producers looking to improve feed intake and help piglets develop intestinal health while reducing instances of diarrhea, reported researchers with Aarhus University.
Fermenting wet feed can provide robust lactic acid bacteria with a high concentration of lactic acid and low pH value, they said.
Interest in the use of fermented products has expanded following the EU’s ban on zinc oxide use and the industry’s interest in moving away from antibiotic use.
Along similar lines, research is being done into the use of prebiotic generated from fermented rye with poultry. The additive may help modulate the microbiota and bacterial populations living inside broilers.
Seaweed as a feed ingredient has been generating some interest from producers looking to reduce or cut the use of antibiotics.
Ireland-based Ocean Harvest Technology has been researching strains of the aquatic plant to use as a probiotic in the diets of poultry and swine.
Similarly, the seaweed production company, Sealac, has been developing kelp-based products as a way to reduce antibiotic use in several species by supporting the growth of beneficial bacteria in the digestive system.
Secondary plant metabolites are being considered another avenue for research and exploration in the effort to address animal gut health and immunity.
Little is known about how they may influence gut bacteria, or the effect select metabolites will have on the gut. However, there is interest in exploring their potential as they have been linked to alterations in the microbiota.
