Intestinal conditioner pronutrients are natural active molecules that improve intestinal integrity and digestion and have a positive impact on productive performance. They are a viable alternative to antibiotic growth promoters (AGP), such as bacitracin, and to other chemicals used as growth promoters, such as halquinol.

Objectives

1. To evaluate the effect of intestinal conditioner pronutrients (IAP) in boriler chickens challenged with a diet containing raw soybean with antinutritional factors that affect intestinal health and integrity.
2. Comparison of IAP’s efficacy against the use of bacitracin methylene disalycilate (AGP) combined with halquinol (non-antibiotic growth promoter).

Materials and methods

Animals: 480 one-day-old male broiler chickens (Ross 308) were distributed into three treatment groups following the scheme below. They received feed and water ad libitum and performance was evaluated until day 35 of age.

• “Control”: standard basal diet without growth promoters
• “BMD+Ha”: standard basal diet with bacitracin methylene disalycilate (250 g/t) and halquinol (80 g/t)
• “Nebsui”: standard basal diet with intestinal conditioner pronutrients (500 g/t)

Challenge: All groups received a diet with 3% inclusion of raw soybean, which contains antinutritional components such as trypsin inhibitors, allergens and lectins that negatively impact gut health and feed digestibility.

Parameters evaluated: features of the carcass, relative weight of the organs and histology were evaluated.

Results

Regarding the features of the carcass, the group with pronutrients obtained the best carcass yield (%) and breast (%) compared to the other two groups. Results were significatively higher, compared to the control (Chart 1).

Chart 1. Carcass yield at day 35

An increase in the relative weight of the organs is indicative of a lower organ efficiency (hypertrophy). The control group showed hypertrophy of the digestive organs due to a loss of efficiency (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Relative weight of the digestive organs

Regarding intestinal morphometry, the villi height (H), the depth of the crypts (D) and the H:D ratio were evaluated at the duodenum. The group with pronutrients showed a significantly higher villi height (P<0.05), and a similar crypt depth compared to the group with BMD+Ha, and thus, pronutrients group obtained the best H:D ratio (Chart 2).

Chart 2. Duodenal morphometry at day 35

Histology of jejunal sections was performed in 28-day-old birds. The samples were processed with Hematoxylin – Eosin stain and PAS staining. As it can be seen in the images below, the control batch had a very poor condition of the intestinal villi, with detachment of the mucosa and inflammation. This finding was repeated, although less markedly, in the batch with BMD+Ha, while the batch with pronutrients showed a homogeneous structure of the villi, which allowed greater absorption, as well as greater protection thanks to the greater presence of goblet cells.

Conclusions

1. Inclusion of raw soybean in the diets was an effective challenge for gut integrity and gut health in chickens, which was observed as higher relative weight of the digestive organs due to a lower efficiency.
2. Growth promoters (bacitracin and halquinol) and pronutrients improved carcass features, the relative weight of the digestive organs and the duodenal morphometry, compared to control.
3. Intestinal conditioner pronutrients are the most effective solution to achieve the proper carcass yield, compared to the use of growth promoters.
4. The use of intestinal conditioner pronutrients allowed to improve the villi morphology, providing greater absorption surface, as well as increasing the production of mucin and strengthening the gut protective barrier, compared to the use of growth promoters.
5. Besides, pronutrients have additional advantages: do not require a withdrawal period, do not leave residues and are completely natural.

If you would like to know more about the results of this trial, particularly of performance, please visit the following link: Intestinal conditioner pronutrients against growth promoters in broiler chickens with an intestinal challenge

Intestinal conditioner pronutrients are marketed under the name Alquernat Nebsui by Biovet, S.A.