Use of essential oils in broiler chicken production – a review

Abstract Biological activity of volatile plant metabolites is the property that can potentially find application in animal nutrition. Nowadays, the use of bioactive compounds is encouraged in many areas of industry and agriculture, since these substances have similar properties as withdrawn antibiotic growth promoters. Meat poultry production is focused on the maximization of performance parameters, namely rapid chicken growth with low feed consumption, and with the optimum health status of the flock. Essential oils can stimulate the growth and functioning of the body, which translates into both chicken’s health and enhanced production parameters. The substances are characterized by a range of effects, are easily biodegradable, and do not usually require a waiting period - hence they can be used in breeding broiler chickens. Given the increasing restrictions imposed on poultry production in terms of food safety and ethical aspects of husbandry, it seems appropriate to look for the use of new, natural substances to be applied in animal production. The article presents the characteristics of essential oils in this context, with a particular focus on their antimicrobial and immunostimulatory properties. The paper also describes production applications of essential oils tested in experiments on hybrid Ross 308 and Cobb 500 chickens.

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Pretreatment with probiotics ameliorate gut health and necrotic enteritis in broiler chickens, a substitute to antibiotics

AMB Express ◽

10.1186/s13568-020-01153-w ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Danish Sharafat Rajput ◽

Dong Zeng ◽

Abdul Khalique ◽

Samia Sharafat Rajput ◽

Hesong Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Broiler Chickens ◽

Production Systems ◽

Economic Losses ◽

Necrotic Enteritis ◽

Poultry Production ◽

Gut Health ◽

Growth Promoters ◽

Broiler Performance ◽

Antibiotic Growth Promoters ◽

Microbial Strains

AbstractNecrotic enteritis (NE) is being considered as one of the most important intestinal diseases in the recent poultry production systems, which causes huge economic losses globally. NE is caused by Clostridium perfringens, a pathogenic bacterium, and normal resident of the intestinal microflora of healthy broiler chickens. Gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of broiler chicken is considered as the most integral part of pathogen’s entrance, their production and disease prevention. Interaction between C. perfringens and other pathogens such as Escherichia coli and Salmonella present in the small intestine may contribute to the development of NE in broiler chickens. The antibiotic therapy was used to treat the NE; however European Union has imposed a strict ban due to the negative implications of drug resistance. Moreover, antibiotic growth promoters cause adverse effects on human health as results of withdrawal of antibiotic residues in the chicken meat. After restriction on use of antibiotics, numerous studies have been carried out to investigate the alternatives to antibiotics for controlling NE. Thus, possible alternatives to prevent NE are bio-therapeutic agents (Probiotics), prebiotics, organic acids and essential oils which help in nutrients digestion, immunity enhancement and overall broiler performance. Recently, probiotics are extensively used alternatives to antibiotics for improving host health status and making them efficient in production. The aim of review is to describe a replacement to antibiotics by using different microbial strains as probiotics such as bacteria and yeasts etc. having bacteriostatic properties which inhibit growth of pathogens and neutralize the toxins by different modes of action.

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The Role of Arginine in Disease Prevention, Gut Microbiota Modulation, Growth Performance and the Immune System of Broiler Chicken – A Review

Annals of Animal Science ◽

10.2478/aoas-2019-0081 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (2) ◽

pp. 325-341

Author(s):

Harry A. Aguzey ◽

Zhenhua Gao ◽

Wu Haohao ◽

Cheng Guilan ◽

Wu Zhengmin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune System ◽

Disease Prevention ◽

Broiler Chickens ◽

Broiler Chicken ◽

Building Blocks ◽

The Body ◽

Necrotic Enteritis ◽

Poultry Production ◽

Growth Promoters ◽

Immune System Modulation

AbstractThe effect of dietary arginine on disease prevention, immune system modulation, the gut micro-biota composition and growth of broiler chicken was reviewed. The main aim of poultry production is the maximization of profit at the least possible cost. This objective can mainly be achieved by ensuring that there is no interference in growth or disease outbreak and by feeding chicken with the best possible level of nutrients. With the ban on antibiotic growth promoters, attention is shifted towards other nutrition methods to prevent diseases and promote growth. More attention is therefore given to protein diets in animal nutrition due to their importance as essential part of active biological compounds in the body, assisting in the breakdown of body tissue and helping in the physiological processes of the animal. Arginine plays important function in serving as building blocks of proteins and polypeptides. It performs other roles during the regulation of important biochemical functions such as maintenance, growth, reproduction and immunity. Arginine cannot be synthesized by the body so it has to be supplemented in the diet. When arginine is supplemented above the recommended level, the gut mucosa is protected, immunosuppression is alleviated, diseases like necrotic enteritis, infectious bursal disease and coccidiosis in broiler chickens are prevented. There is an improvement in growth resulting from the increase in intestinal absorption, barrier function and microbiota composition.

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Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) Oil as a Potential Alternative to Antibiotics in Poultry

Antibiotics ◽

10.3390/antibiotics9050210 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (5) ◽

pp. 210 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Mohamed E. Abd El-Hack ◽

Mahmoud Alagawany ◽

Abdel-Moneim E. Abdel-Moneim ◽

Noureldeen G. Mohammed ◽

Asmaa F. Khafaga ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Essential Oils ◽

Antimicrobial Activities ◽

Feed Additives ◽

Feed Additive ◽

Volatile Components ◽

Poultry Production ◽

Growth Promoters ◽

Cinnamomum Zeylanicum ◽

Cinnamon Oil ◽

Antibiotic Growth Promoters

The removal of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) as feed additives in poultry nutrition from the market in many countries has compelled researchers to find unconventional and safe alternatives to AGPs. Probiotics, prebiotics, enzymes, organic acids, herbs, immune-stimulants and essential oils (EO) have been investigated as feed additives in poultry production. Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum), one of the oldest medicinal plants and widely used around the world, can be used in poultry rations in the form of powder or essential oil. Essential oils produced from aromatic plants have become more interesting owing to their potential effects as hypocholesterolaemic agents, antioxidants, antimicrobials, antifungals and stimulants of digestive enzymes. The potential insecticidal and antimicrobial activities of EO against pathogens that cause spoilage in agriculture crops and human diseases might be attributed mainly to the high content of volatile components (mainly cinnamaldehyde, eugenol and carvacrol) in cinnamon oil. The present review focuses on the effects of cinnamon oil as a feed additive on poultry performance, carcass traits, meat quality, hypocholesterolaemic impact, antioxidant activity, immunity and microbiological aspects.

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Phytogenic Feed Additives as An Alternative to Antibiotic Growth Promoters in Poultry Nutrition

10.5772/intechopen.99401 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jet Saartje Mandey ◽

Florencia Nery Sompie

Keyword(s):

Essential Oils ◽

Broiler Chickens ◽

Feed Additives ◽

Peppermint Oil ◽

Growth Promoters ◽

Oil Blends ◽

Antibiotic Growth Promoters ◽

Inclusion Level ◽

Poultry Nutrition ◽

Improved Performance

Phytoadditives in animal nutrition have attracted a lot of attention for their potential role as alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters. Phytoadditives are feed additives originated from plants or botanicals that are used in poultry nutrition. This chapter provides an overview about the potency of alternative additive from plants as a basis for exploring it as a phytoadditive for poultry. These substances are derived from herbs, spices, and other plants and their extracts. They are natural, less toxic, residue free and ideal feed additives for poultry when compared to synthetic antibiotics. There efficacy of phytogenic applications in poultry nutrition depends on several factors, such as composition and feed inclusion level of phytogenic preparations, bird genetics, and overall diet composition. Addition of 100 mg/kg feed essential oils consist of carvacrol, thymol and limonene in matrix encapsulation improved performance and apparent ideal digestibility of nutrients of broiler chickens. Besides enhancing performance, phytogenic also has antioxidant, the effects of which are associated with essential oils (EOs) and their components. Administration of eucalyptus and peppermint oil blends by oral (0.25 ml/L drinking water) and spray route (0.1 ml/20 ml water) reduced Newcastle disease infection in broilers. Phytoadditives have antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral, antitoxigenic, antiparasitic and insecticidal properties. The benefits of using phytoadditives in poultry nutrition are increased feed intake, stimulation of digestion, increased growth performance, reduced incidence of disease, improved reproductive parameters, feed efficiency, profitability. Based on the latest scientific findings presented in this chapter, the following main conclusions have been drawn that phytomolecule and that bioactives have potential to be developed as an alternative additive for poultry, and that promote health.

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Effects of Moringa Oleifera Leaf Polysaccharide on Growth Performance and Immune Response of Broiler Chickens

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1089038/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Hosameldeen Mohamed Husien ◽

JunJie Huang ◽

WeiLong Peng ◽

ShuMei Zheng ◽

JinGui Li

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Broiler Chickens ◽

Moringa Oleifera ◽

The Body ◽

Feed Consumption ◽

Feed Additive ◽

Control Group ◽

High Dose ◽

Tnf Α

Abstract Moringa oleifera (MO) is a widely used as the nutritious and non-traditional feed supplementation containing kinds of bioactive substances. However, the enhancement effect of Moringa oleifera leaf Polysaccharide (MOLP) as a feed additive in broilers growth performance and immunity remains unclear. In this study, MOLP was obtained by water extraction and alcohol precipitation method, then purified with Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) assay. Chickens were randomly divided into 4 groups, to receive different doses of MOLP (0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4g/kg) in feed for 3 weeks. The body weight gain (BWG) and feed consumption were recorded for feed conversion ratio (FCR) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) calculation. Broiler chickens were sacrificed and sampled on day 14, 21, 28 (D 14, D 21, and D 28) respectively. Serological indicators, including total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), globulin (GLO), and creatinine (CREA) were detected. ELISA kits were applied for detecting the levels of immunoglobulin A (IgA), immunoglobulin G (IgG), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α). From D 21 to D 28, the results showed that middle dose of MOLP significantly increased BWG and ADFI as well as liver and bursa indexes when compared with the control group. In addition, TP and GLO were also increased (P<0.05). All MOLP treatments enhanced the serum concentrations of IgG and IL-2 (P<0.01). Furthermore, results of quantitative RT-PCR showed that high dose of MOLP treatment significantly increased (P<0.001) the mRNA expression levels of IL-2 and TNF-α of chickens relative to the control group. In conclusion, the results showed that MOLP supplementation contributed to improve growth performance and immune response in broiler chickens, and MOLP could be considered as a promising feed additive.

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Investigations on the Effects of Dietary Essential Oils and Different Husbandry Conditions on the Gut Ecology in Piglets after Weaning

International Journal of Microbiology ◽

10.1155/2009/730809 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 2009 ◽

pp. 1-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

P. Janczyk ◽

R. Pieper ◽

V. Urubschurov ◽

K. R. Wendler ◽

W. B. Souffrant

Keyword(s):

Essential Oils ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Distal Part ◽

Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis ◽

Control Diet ◽

Short Chain Fatty Acids ◽

Growth Promoters ◽

Gradient Gel Electrophoresis ◽

Antibiotic Growth Promoters ◽

Polymerase Chain

Essential oils (EO) are being considered as possible alternatives to in-feed antibiotic growth promoters in pig nutrition. The effects of an EO mixture consisting of limonene, eugenol and pinene (10.0, 2.0, and 4.8 mg/kg diet, resp.) on gut physiology and ecology were studied in piglets. The experiment was conducted at low (commercial farm) and high hygienic conditions (experimental farm), to elucidate interactions between EO supplementation and husbandry methods. Piglets were weaned at 28 days of age, when they were offered either a control diet (C) or C with EO. Four piglets were sacrificed in each group on day 29, 30, 33 and 39. Digesta from the third distal part of the small intestine and from the colon were sampled and analysed for pH, dry matter, lactic acid, short chain fatty acids and ammonia concentrations. Enterobacteria, enterococci, lactobacilli and yeast counts were obtained by plating. Genomic DNA was extracted from digesta and polymerase chain reaction—denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis was performed. Individual microbial communities were identified at each farm. Age affected the intestinal parameters. No effects of the EO with exception for a significant reduction in colon bacterial diversity at 39 days of age could be recorded at experimental farm.

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Effects of butyric acid, mannanoligosaccharide (MOS) and avilamycin on performance and small intestine morphology of broiler chickens

Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science ◽

10.1017/s1752756200030726 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 2009 ◽

pp. 233-233

Author(s):

S N Mousavi ◽

M Shivazad ◽

N Ghazvini

Keyword(s):

Fatty Acids ◽

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Small Intestine ◽

Butyric Acid ◽

Broiler Chickens ◽

Short Chain Fatty Acids ◽

Growth Promoters ◽

Potential Alternative ◽

Antibiotic Growth Promoters ◽

Public Scrutiny

The subtherapeutic use of antibiotics in animals has been under scientific and public scrutiny as antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) have been linked to the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, which poses a threat to human health (Smith et al., 2003). Short chain fatty acids such as butyrate are considered as potential alternative to AGP, In addition to its bactericidal activity; butyrate appears to play a role in development of the intestinal epithelium (Leeson 2005). Prebiotics (e.g. mannanoligosaccharides, MOS) are nondigestible feed ingredients that can selectively stimulate growth or metabolic activity of a limited number of intestinal microorganisms (Gibson and Roberfroid, 1995). This study was, therefore, conducted to investigate effectiveness of mannanoligosaccharides and butyric acid as potential alternatives to AGP in broilers.

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EFFECT OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENTATION OF ETHANOL EXTRACT OF CHIVES AND GINGER ON THE PRODUCTIVITY AND HEALTH PERFORMANCE OF BROILERS

HUE UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OF SCIENCE AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT ◽

10.26459/hueunijard.v129i3c.5881 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 129 (3C) ◽

Author(s):

Phan Vu Hai ◽

Pham Hoang Son Hung ◽

Ho Thi Dung ◽

Le Minh Đuc ◽

Đinh Thi Thuy Khuong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Broiler Chickens ◽

Ethanol Extract ◽

Efficiency Index ◽

Feed Consumption ◽

Control Group ◽

Small Intestinal Mucosa ◽

Growth Promoters ◽

Health Performance ◽

Ethanol Extracts ◽

Dietary Treatments

This study was to evaluate the effects of supplementation of ethanol extracts of chive (CE) and ginger (GE), and their combination (CG) in diets of broiler chickens on their growth, health performance and economic efficiency. Totally 180 male Egyptian broilers from one-day age were randomly assigned to 6 dietary treatments consisting of 3 replicates of 10 chicks each, of which in the diet of the control group (CT) neither ginger nor chive preparation were introduced, meanwhile the diets of birds in the 5 trial groups (CE1, CE2, GE1, GE2 and CG) were supplemented with 0.5% CE, 1% CE, 0.5% GE, 1% GE and 0.5% CE plus 0.5% GE preparations, respectively. In general, supplementation of CE and GE did not significantly affect feed consumption, mortality, performance efficiency index (PEI), and respiratory syndrome in chickens. However, the herb extract preparations could reduce the incidence of diarrhea in broiler chickens during five to-ten-week age periods. Microscopic examination of small intestinal mucosa showed that the heights of villi and the depths of crypts of chicks in the CE2 treatment as well as the diameters of villi of chicks in the CG treatment were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than in the others. In general, supplementation of 1% CE and the combination of 0.5% CE and 0.5% GE preparations improved the growth performance of broilers, and the combination can be an alternative to antibiotics as growth promoters in feeding chicken.

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