Research proposals on functional amino acids and gut microbiota nab €1m Adisseo grant

14-Dec-2021 - Last updated on 14-Dec-2021 at 13:15 GMT

Projects aimed at improving the feeding of broilers during and after a coccidiosis challenge through the use of functional amino acids and understanding the contribution of the gut microbiota to mucosal immunity in poultry have secured an industry research award.

In May this year, feed additive producer, Adisseo, announced it was offering €1m (US$1.2m), in the form of a research grant, over the next three years, 2021-2024, aimed at supporting collaborative projects addressing some of the challenges the international feed industry is grappling with.

A scientific committee composed of academic and industry experts outlined five pressing feed industry concerns for which potential research project candidates should offer solutions. That committee also selected the winning projects.

The challenges as determined by the experts related to sustainability, the need for alternative feed ingredients, the importance of ensuring the right start for chicks and piglets, the need to reduce industry reliance on antibiotics and tackling heat stress.

The winning projects were:

How to feed broilers during infection with, and recovery from, coccidia in different environments: functional role of amino acids: Prof Ilias KYRIAZAKIS (AFBI, Northern Ireland, UK) and Prof Oluyinka OLUKOSI (University of Georgia, US).
GutMIVir – Understanding the contribution of the gut microbiota to mucosal immunity and antiviral defenses in the chicken: Dr Rodrigo GUABIRABA (INRAe), Prof Bernd KASPERS (LMU in Germany) and Prof Lonneke VERVELDE (UEDIN/Roslin, UK).

“The members of the scientific committee evaluated the research proposals received. The focus of their evaluation, beyond the scientific quality of the dossiers, was on their collaborative and complementary scientific approaches to enhancing knowledge on the feed industry issues proposed,” a spokesperson for Adisseo told us.

Expert line-up

The Adisseo research grant scientific committee includes five members from academia: Prof Markus Rodehutscord, University of Hohenheim (Germany), Prof Mike Kidd, University of Arkansas (USA), Prof Richard Ducatelle, Ghent University (Belgium), Prof Nilva Sakomura, UNESP (Brazil), Prof Yuming Guo, China Agricultural University (China).

It also comprises 10 representatives from the feed industry: Dr Mario Penz (Cargill), Dr Roy Brister (Tyson), Dr John Halley (JBS), Dr James Pei (LIHUA), Dr Thierry Maucotel (LDC), Dr Marcus Reginatto (BRF), Dr Marné Meyer (NOVATEK), Dr Nurul Basar (NOURISH), Dr Pairat Srichana and Dr Ferry Poernama (JAPFA).

Adisseo said it had received 80 pre-proposals by the end of June, with 32 of selected and seven going through to the final stage. The company said it will release regular progress developments related to the winning projects.

New grant

Meanwhile, Adisseo is to launch a new research grant at the end of January 2022, with the winners of that 2022-2025 call to be announced at the WPC 2022 in Paris in August.

The company said it welcomes applications for collaborative research projects, focused on poultry or swine, and aimed at increasing the scientific and technical knowledge of the industry. It is to announce the feed industry challenges that should be addressed by those proposals at a later date.