Controlling red mite infestation with garlic oil

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Dermanyssus gallinae, also known as poultry red mite, is considered globally as one of the most challenging problems in egg production. Recent field-level research has shown the benefit of using garlic oil in feed as an alternative mite control strategy in laying hens.

by MARIO ROMAN AND JOSE LUIS CANO, published in Poultry World 2022

Red mite parasitism negatively affects layers and breeders, causing health problems, a reduction in egg production, slower growth rates and behavioural changes that have a serious impact on animal welfare. It further acts as a vector for bacteria among other pathogens. Chemical products have commonly been used as a corrective measure to control mite populations. However, the use of these substances may lead to resistance developing, as well as risks to bird, producer and consumer health due to chemical traces and residues left in final products. The impact of red mite on animal health, welfare, production, farm economics and food security create a nightmare scenario for farmers, who are continually looking for alternatives to traditional acaricides.

According to Pancosma, ADM’s global feed additives busi- ness, internal in vitro and in vivo research as well as scientific research publications indicate that garlic oil releases an odour that is unpleasant to insects and mites owing to its sulphurous organic compounds, thereby creating a barrier between the animals and these undesirable pests. Pancosma further set up a 7-10 week trial on two farms in Brazil to test the repellent effect on Acarus and assess how mite pressure can be reduced under commercial conditions using its flavouring palatant based on garlic oil and other active allium ingredients. A total of 50,000 hens (Lohman Lite Whites and Hisex) housed in battery cages were treated with 1 kg/t of garlic flavour in feed. Measurements were taken to compare egg production, egg weight, egg condition, mortality and mite infestation levels with the control group.

Successful outcomes

Data analysis of the measurements showed multiple benefits from the inclusion of garlic flavour in the feed across different productive parameters. At the first trial farm, the number of cracked eggs was significantly lower in the garlic flavour group than the control group (average across all facilities: 0.48% vs 0.63%, P <0.05). The mortality rate was also significantly lower in the garlic flavour group than the control group (average across all facilities: 10.0% vs 15.75%, P <0.05) as shown in Figure 1. This demonstrates the direct effect of garlic on metabolism, immune function and reducing infestation in laying hens, thereby reducing stress and micro-organism transmission on the farm.

At the second farm, egg production was significantly higher in the garlic flavour group than the control group (average across all facilities: 80.0% vs 76.9%, P <0.05) and egg weight was also higher in the garlic flavour group than the control group (61.6 g vs 60.3 g, P <0.05) as shown in Figure 2. The infestation score represents the average number of bird parts (cloaca, wings, back, neck) where mite presence was detect- ed. Mite infestation was on average 9.4% (0.2 P) lower in the group fed the garlic flavour than in the control group. Again, reducing mite infestation appears to reduce animal stress and mitigate blood loss so more nutrients are available to support egg production in layers.

The researchers concluded that a flavour based on garlic oil and rich in active compounds is an effective alternative strategy that can be used to control and reduce mite infestation in laying hens. Under field conditions it reduced mortality rate and mite infestation, while increasing egg production and egg quality. Given the results and Brazilian economic factors, the product delivered a ROI 3.78 times higher compared to the use of Cypermethrin – making the use of garlic not only a viable strategy for mite mitigation, but also a sound business case.

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Feeding for long-life ovaries in laying hens

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Sustaining the production of quality eggs for longer in laying hens is key to reducing the economic cost and environmental impact of egg production. New data indicates potential biomarkers that can be measured for long-life ovaries in feeding trials designed to support productivity of ovaries for extended laying cycles.

by Gwendolyn Jones, Product Manager Gut Agility Activators, published in AllaboutFeed, December 2022

In terms of efficiency in egg production, major improvements have already been made, resulting in a reduction in the feed required per kg of egg mass produced, which translates into significant resource savings for the producer. For example, a study investigated the magnitude of life cycle impacts on egg production in the USA in 1960 compared to 2010. This study reported that using 1960 technology to produce the 2010 egg supply would have required 78 million more hens, 1.3 million more acres of maize and 1.8 million more acres of soybeans. What’s more, it showed the following reductions in the environmental footprint per kg of eggs produced in the U.S. over the 50-year time period:

  • – 65 percent lower acidifying emissions
  • – 71 percent lower eutrophying emissions
  • – 71 percent lower greenhouse gas emissions

To increase sustainability in terms of the cost and environmental impact of egg production even further, the laying industry is pursuing increased laying persistency to extend laying cycles (up from 72 weeks to 100 weeks in a single cycle).

Research has shown that after the production of feed for hens, the purchase of new laying hens to replace the old flock contributed most to the environmental impact of egg production. By extending the productive lifetime of laying hens, their environmental impact could be further reduced, as few- er replacement flocks are needed. Keeping the birds longer will also reduce the contribution of the 17-week-old pullet to the cost per egg. Shorter production cycles require more

Ovarian ageing in laying hens

Maintaining high levels of production of good quality eggs in an extended production cycle requires hens to develop and maintain healthy and functional ovaries, among other factors. It is well known that the decline in ovarian functions over the egg production cycle is linked to ovarian ageing. One of the major causes of ovarian ageing is oxidative stress, which is caused by the decline in the antioxidative capacity of the ovary and the gradual accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) over time. Oxidative stress has been shown to reduce the egg-laying rate in laying hens, reduce the follicle reserve and increase apoptosis in cells of ovaries.

The underlying mechanisms for the decline in the antioxidative capacity of ovaries of laying hens during the ageing process have been linked to the down regulation of the Nrf2 gene expression in the Nrf2-KEAP1 pathway. This signaling pathway is involved in the mobilisation of cellular antioxidant defenses to alleviate oxidative stress in tissues. Egg quality parameters such as albumen height, Haugh Unit (HU), egg- shell thickness and eggshell strength have been shown to be depressed when the Nrf2-Keap-1 pathway was impaired).

Factors accelerating ovarian ageing

ROS accumulate during metabolic activity, which can be exacerbated in periods of high productivity and when the bird is challenged by stressors in its environment or feed. For example, the exposure to heat stress is known to increase the production of ROS at the cellular level and so does the exposure to mycotoxins in poultry feed. Hence a lack of support to increase the birds’ antioxidative defense against ROS particularly during more challenging periods of the production cycle can lead to an increased rate of decline of the ovaries. This limits the ability to extend laying cycles, reduces egg production and decreases the commercial value of laying hens.

Strategies for maintaining ovarian productivity

A better understanding of the mechanisms underlying ovarian ageing and possibilities to mitigate oxidative stress is helping to find ways to prolong ovarian lifespans and thus potentially increase the length of productivity for egg production in laying hens.

Some plant extracts with antioxidative capacities applied to feed have successfully retarded the decline in antioxidative capacity of ovaries by increasing antioxidative activities. An in vitro study demonstrated that the natural plant extract lycopene was able to activate the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway, thus alleviating oxidative stress in ovaries. Homeoxygenase-1 (HO-1 is a Nrf2-downstream antioxidative enzyme, which prevents cellular apoptosis).

Recent feeding trials evaluating the impact of a gut agility activator on egg production performance parameters and antioxidative capacity of the ovaries in laying hens indicated the potential to sustain egg production longer. Gene expression of Nrf2 and certain downstream antioxidative enzymes linked to the Nrf2-Keap1 pathway were significantly increased in ovaries in response to feeding the gut agility activator, which was associated with increased egg-laying rates and improved egg quality parameters at 32 weeks of age (at the same time, HU and albumen height in eggs were significantly improved compared to hens on the control diet in the late laying period at 65 weeks of age).

Advances in nutritional strategies to support long-life ovarian function in combination with genetic progress in laying hens are paving the way for increased capabilities to further improve the economics and environmental impact of egg production while supporting food security and sustainability.

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Pichia guilliermondii for physiological support in sows and their offspring

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As restrictions increase on the use of antibiotics in animals amid concerns about antimicrobial resistance, there is a growing interest in evolved management practices, including the use of non-drug specialty feed ingredients that may help to support the animal’s immune system, optimise their physiology and ensuing performance.

by Sarah Cooper, Business Development Manager, Pichia Yeast, published in International Pig Topics

One of the feed ingredients of interest are yeasts. Yeast cell walls contain various bioactive components such as b-glucans and mannan oligosaccharides, which have been demonstrated to have beneficial impacts across various species. Several studies have shown that dietary b-glucans interact with intestinal cells effecting modulation of the intestinal immune response.

Mannan oligosaccharides have been demonstrated to bind and limit the colonisation of intestinal pathogens with beneficial consequences related to gastrointestinal health and performance.

P. guilliermondii is a novel yeast with unique morphology, structure and distribution of cell wall components, and consequent activity. The function of P. guilliermondii and associated influence on physiological and performance parameters have been assessed across a variety of animal species.

This body of research has focused on looking at the impact that may be associated with P. guilliermondii on the immune system, pathogen load, gastrointestinal health and performance, especially during stress and pathogenic challenges.

It has been well established that stress of various sources, commonplace in sow production, can seriously impact sow reproduction.  Maternal stress and foetal programming is well researched in human health and is an emerging theme in swine research efforts.

Foetal programming refers to acute or chronic stimuli impacting the foetus in utero, which may establish a permanent response within the foetus that impacts its physiologic function later in life. Therefore, the physiological status or wellness of the sow during gestation may influence her reproductive performance and the health of her piglets.

A series of peer-reviewed studies involving P. guilliermondii fed to sows during gestation and lactation have been performed looking at associated impacts on various parameters in sows and their offspring.

These studies demonstrate that supplementing the gestation and lactation diets of sows and gilts with an inactivated P. guilliermondii-based specialty feed ingredient promotes sow reproductive parameters, the performance of the sow’s offspring post-weaning and delivers profit.

Pichia supplementation

Reproductive performance in sows supplemented with P. guilliermondii during gestation and lactation has been assessed in numerous peer- reviewed studies in both research and commercial facilities, in the Unites States (US) and Europe.

Carry-over effects

A recent peer-reviewed study looked at commercial swine production facility in the US where 1,260 pigs were followed during the nursery, grow-finish phases. They were grouped according whether or not their sow has received 0.1% P. guilliermondii during gestation and lactation. Pigs weaned from sows that had received P. guilliermondii supplementation tended to have greater livability during both the nursery and grow-finish phases (Fig. 2) and finished significantly heavier compared to pigs weaned from sows that did not receive P. guilliermondii.

Consistent impacts

In order to more objectively assess the effects seen when P. guilliermondii is added to the gestation and lactation diets of sows, a meta-analysis was performed. The above-mentioned four peer- reviewed studies plus an additional four studies – a total of 1,446 sows – were included in the analysis of reproductive performance at birth until weaning.

The P. guilliermondii supplementation ranged from 0.1% to 0.2% and did not influence the effect of the product on the outcomes. Overall, P. guilliermondii supplementation in the sows was associated with an increased number of piglets born alive per sow (+3.5%, P<0.01; F).

When considering piglet survival before and after cross-foster, this resulted in more piglets weaned per sow (+5.3%, P<0.001; Fig. 5). In the assessment of the post-weaning phase, pigs weaned from sow supplemented with P. guilliermondii during gestation and lactation tended to have greater livability (Fig. 6) and significantly greater average daily gain (+5.7%, P=0.038;).

Pichia, Performance, Profit

The beneficial impact of P. guilliermondii supplementation in sows during gestation and lactation on litter size and weaned pig output has been demonstrated consistently across several studies and assessed through meta-analysis. The modes of action by which P. guilliermondii may impact sow litter size and weaned pig output are yet to be elucidated. It may be the case that P. guilliermondii, through its proposed modes of action, may promote resilience in the sow to overcome stressors, counteracting the negative effects of stress on reproduction, impacting foetal programming and consequent performance of offspring during lactation and post- weaning.

P. guilliermondii is commercially available as an inactivated specialty feed ingredient. Its inclusion in the gestation and lactation diets of sows and consequent impact on litter size and number of pigs weaned may facilitate improved swine production efficiency and profit.

Optimizing cow longevity by managing for resilience

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Cow longevity is the second most economically important trait in dairy cows. Cows with a high longevity, i.e. long productive life span typically exhibit good reproductive performance, few health problems and consistent milk production. However, production efficiency, herd profitability and welfare are less dependent on the longest life than on the optimum length of productive life.

by Gwendolyn Jones, Product Manager Gut Agility Activators,International Dairy Topics

The drive to increase the sustainability of the dairy industry is further intensifying the need for dairy farmers to improve their ability to optimize cow longevity. More recent research highlights possibilities to identify metrics earlier in the life of the cow to enable better decision making in culling cows and manage for resilience to increase the chance of reaching the optimum productive life span. Pilot studies are also revealing the potential to support resilience in dairy cows by nutritional means.

Impact of cow longevity on sustainability

Short longevity poses a threat to the three pillars of sustainable agriculture: economic profit, environmental impact, and social concerns. It is associated with financial losses on farms, increased environmental footprint of milk production, and welfare issues for the animals. Short longevity indicates that animals are not expressing their maximum potential for productivity and profitability due to the high costs associated with rearing cows until they reach the productive stage.

Improved longevity means higher profit per cow, as the income from the productive stage of life pays off the investment made in raising replacement heifers. Mature cows have a higher milk yield than younger cows. As a result, greater longevity increases the proportion of high-yield cows in the herd and fewer cows are needed to sustain a given level of production.

Reducing the number of cows required to produce a given quantity of milk required to produce a given quantity of milk improves environmental sustainability of a dairy enterprise by reducing the carbon footprint per kilogram of milk produced. Therefore, improving dairy cow longevity contributes to a more sustainable dairy industry.

Cow longevity is determined by farmer decisions

The moment and reason a cow is culled, is determined by decisions made by dairy farmers, unless the cow was removed from the herd because of death. Therefore, cow longevity is the outcome of decisions by the dairy farmer throughout the life of the animal.  Culling decisions are the result of cow factors such as health, milk production, and reproductive status, as well as the availability of replacement heifers, parlour capacity and prices. Cows with higher genetic merit, greater production capacity, or better resilience against premature culling are more valuable to dairy farmers.

Genetic opportunity cost is the loss from keeping older, less genetically improved cows in the herd instead of younger, more genetically improved cows. Genetic opportunity cost favours a younger herd, which may trigger greater cow culling to capture genetic improvement and replace cows that are less valuable. However, it needs to be balanced against the benefits of lower culling rates for production costs and environmental effects. A herd with a high proportion of young animals emits more methane and excretes more phosphorus in the environment per unit of milk compared with a herd with a greater proportion of multiparous cows.

This highlights the need to optimize longevity rather than increase longevity in dairy herds. More recent studies and simulation models aim to determine the culling rate that will maximize the profit from genetic gain while minimizing the costs of turnover.  Improvement of culling decision support tools will help to optimize the economically optimal productive lifespan for individual cows based on the conditions they are being reared in. Ultimately, they will help to improve profitability and social acceptability of dairy production.

Relationship between longevity and resilience

Collaborative research across several research institutes in Europe is paving the way to early identification of dairy cows with a high probability of completing several lactations. In the long run there is hope that this will help to significantly improve the optimization of farm-individual management with respect to longevity.

Initial studies revealed the potential for high-frequency milk yield and activity sensor data to rationalize evidence-based culling decisions as early as after the first lactation. The research highlights the relationship between cow resilience and longevity and indicated that a higher resilience score generally corresponded with a higher final lactation number in dairy cows.

Resilience can be described as the capacity of the animal to be minimally affected by a disturbance or to rapidly return to the initial state that pertained before exposure to a disturbance. In the studies mentioned above dairy cows with a high lifetime resilience were defined as animals that avoid early culling by coping well with the farm’s management conditions and having a high adaptability to imposed challenges, whilst reproducing easily and producing consistently, resulting in a long productive life span on commercial farms. The idea is to eventually develop a tool that enables farmers to rank their cows according to resilience scores based on readily available farm data.

Feeding for resilience

A recent pilot study investigating the impact of the gut agility activator Anco FIT on the resilience of dairy cows under practical conditions indicated the potential for this animal feed solution to influence proven resilience indicators in dairy cows, such as reduced fluctuations in milk yield, which warrants further research. The insights of this study were derived from frequent measurements collected via sensors and an automatic milking system in a commercial environment.

Greater precision through water application for pigs

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Drinking water application for pigs not only provides greater flexibility but also greater precision at the farm level. In combination with the insights gained from real-time data through using emerging Agtech solutions on farm it offers a powerful tool to act swiftly during critical periods of the production cycle of pigs to increase cost-efficiency in pig nutrition and optimize performance.

Why use water application for pigs?

  • Compensating for inadequate feed intakes

Throughout the pig’s life cycle there are periods where feed intakes may not be adequate to meet requirements for nutrients or other support to maintain well-being and stay on target for performance goals. These periods can occur during:

  • weaning,
  • periods of rapid growth or high milk production,
  • vaccination,
  • transport and
  • high ambient temperatures.

The average water consumption is around two times higher than feed intake and pigs keep on drinking when experiencing challenges. As a result, drinking water applications can help to compensate the gap and guarantee adequate support and nutrient supply during challenging periods

  • Increased flexibility on farm

Supplementation of feed additives via drinking water offers the farmer maximum flexibility and the chance to react quickly in times of increased demand for support in pigs. The application can be administered quickly, meaning additional support is available to the animal almost immediately. Whereas it can take much longer to increase supplementation through the feed supply, plus feed intake may not be high enough for optimal support during critical phases.

  • Increased precision in nutritional support for pigs

The use of additives in the water enables full control over their use through the farm manager. Drinking water application offers the right support quickly at the exact time it is needed. The type, dosage, and duration can be adjusted to best meet the requirements of the pigs in real-time. It translates into less wastage and greater cost-efficiency in the use of feed additives at the farm level.

Introducing Nutrio+ for pigs

A solution-based approach designed for application in drinking water systems of pigs. Blended combinations of carefully selected proven ingredients formulated to support gut function and maintain well-being of pigs during critical stages of their production lifecycle.

To ensure that our specific ingredients have the desired action, the pH level of the drinking water needs to be closely monitored. When added, the products acidify the water, our aim is to reach around pH 4.

More information on Nutrio+ >>

Nutrio plus

 

 

 

 

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Priming the poultry gut to deal with stressors

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Research sheds light on how nutritional interventions can modulate gene expression of a key pathway in the poultry gut to increase the bird’s capacity to cope with stressors.

Stress-related decreases in productive and reproductive performance of poultry cause substantial economic losses. In poultry the gut is highly responsive to stressors from the feed and the environment. Under commercial conditions, birds are exposed to a variety of nutritional and environmental stressors. This will lead to stress reactions such as oxidative stress, inflammatory responses and reduced gut integrity on the cellular and gut level, which will increase maintenance energy requirements.

by Gwendolyn Jones, published in Poultry World, 2019

On top of that stressors may negatively affect feed intake, such that altogether performance and efficiency in birds can drop significantly. In laying hens oxidative stress can also accelerate the aging process of the ovaries and impair liver function, which can affect laying persistence and egg quality at the later stages of the laying cycle.

Methods developed to improve the measurement of the underlying mechanisms via molecular markers can lead to a better understanding of how the reactions can be manipulated to reduce the impact on bird performance.

Improving the adaptive ability of birds

By improving the adaptive ability of animals to stressors it is possible to substantially decrease negative consequences of various stresses in poultry production. Researchers consider changes in gene expression to be of great importance for adaptation to stressors, and hence key to the development of techniques for managing stress reactions in the animal. Certain molecular pathways responsible for the transcription of genes for enzymes involved in the protection from the effects of stressors on the cellular level play a vital role in the adaptive ability of birds. A better understanding of these pathways and the development of ways to track and measure changes in their key indicators is paving the way to support them by nutritional means for greater resilience in birds. Certain bioactive components derived from plants are promising candidates for nutritional solutions, because they also play key roles in similar pathways in plants to enhance the plant’s ability to cope with stressors threatening its survival.

Underlying mechanisms to adaptive capacity

Oxidative stress is one of the most common stress reactions on the cellular level in the animal. It is characterized by excess production of free radicals (ROS), which exceeds the ability of the bird’s antioxidant defence system to neutralise them.

In recent years great attention has been paid to the transcription factor Nrf2 and scientific data indicate that Nrf2 activation is one of the most important mechanism to prevent/decrease stress-related detrimental changes. Nrf2 is a transcription factor that responds to oxidative stress by binding to the antioxidant response element (ARE), which initiates the transcription of antioxidant enzymes.

These enzymes contribute to the improvement of the bird’s antioxidant defence system and reduce oxidative stress on the cellular level. They are also known to block Nf-kB resulting in protection against inflammation. However, when stress is too high, leading to a free radical concentration higher than the threshold for cells, other transcription factors including NF-kB become predominant, which increases inflammation. Research suggests, that the threshold could be increased by nutritional means making the pathway more robust under stress and reducing oxidative stress and inflammatory responses.

Recent evaluation of nutritional intervention

Research in broilers carried out by the Agricultural University of Athens, evaluated a gut agility activator as a new nutritional intervention to improve the adaptive capacity of birds for greater resilience to stressors. It contains a combination of bioactive substances derived from herbs and spices designed to reduce the negative impact of stressors on bird performance.

In this trial analyzing tissue samples from different segments of the bird’s gut was done to study the relative expression of genes related to antioxidative enzymes and inflammation. It was discovered that adding the gut agility activator to the diet up-regulated gene expression of antioxidative enzymes belonging to the NrF2/ARE pathway and down-regulated NF-kB1 expression. Additional analysis carried out in the same study demonstrated that this coincided with increased levels of total antioxidant capacity in the gut. However, the positive effect of the gut agility activator was dependent on the inclusion level and segment of the gut.

Commercial implications

New and powerful analytical methods are catalysing the progress in our understanding of the mechanics of action of certain feed additives. The current research findings suggest, that it is possible to boost the bird’s capacity to adapt efficiently to stressors, by adding a gut agility activator to the feed. In combination with performance data from commercial trials in the presence of stressors (such as heat, high production level and mycotoxins), there is evidence that the gut agility activator offers a solution to help reduce the impact of stressors on performance under commercial conditions.

Producers looking for a more consistent performance in response to their feeding programs or to sustain longer production cycles e.g. in the laying hen by natural means could benefit economically from this. However, this research alongside previous research also demonstrates the importance of testing and optimizing inclusion levels of active substances derived from herbs and spices, for them to be part of commercially viable solutions in cost-effective diets.

References

Scientific Paper: Priming of intestinal cytoprotective genes and antioxidant capacity by dietary phytogenic inclusion in broilers, published in Animal Nutrition June 2020,  Read more 

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Piglet performance through sow investment

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Should good piglet management start at birth? Or is it wiser to prepare for well-performing litters one step earlier? When using certain feed additives in sow nutrition, the latter appears to hold true. There is value to be reaped later on at various stages of the offspring’s life.

Eunice Lee, Asian Pork Magazine

In intensive pork production, a high proportion of pig losses can occur in farrowing and lactation periods. It is a critical period to determine the overall performance of a production pig.

During these critical periods, not only the welfare of the sows should be addressed, but also the nutrients and elements that prepare the sows for body maintenance and the ability to encounter all types of disorders that may occur.

Some nutritionists address that stage as a transition period. Within the transition period, the metabolism of sows’ switches from anabolism to catabolism. During the gestation period, the energy ingested by sows is primarily for body maintenance and partially for foetal production, while during the lactation period, the majority of the energy intake is used for milk production. The requirements of energy, protein and fiber levels, and micronutrients in between the gestation diet and lactation diet have enormous quantitative and qualitative differences. In practice, these can be easily underestimated and overlooked.

The nutritional knowledge and supportive elements for this crucial transition period have started to receive further attention. Feed additives that are designed to support sows physiologically and systemically are also generally accepted and applied during the transition period.

Feed additive: lauric acid and monolaurin

Saturated fatty acids, more commonly known as organic acids, especially short chain fatty acids, are widely applied in piglet diets to support nutrient digestion. Another group of these organic acids are the medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs).

MCFAs are saturated carboxylic acids with a carbon chain length from C6 to C12. They are abundant in coconut oil or palm kernel oil in the form of triglycerides. The antimicrobial activity of MCFAs has been extensively studied. It has been shown that the antimicrobial effect of lauric acid

is quite potent among MCFAs. Its derivative, glycerol monolaurate (GML), which is produced by the esterification of a molecule of glycerol and a molecule of lauric acid, also has strong antimicrobial effect.

The antimicrobial mode of action for lauric acid and GML is mainly through disrupting the homeostasis of the bacterial cell membrane and inducing inhibition of the bacterial growth.

A synergistic effect between lauric acid and GML had been found against Streptococcus pyogenes at different mixture ratios, where the combination exhibits stronger inhibition activities than using the single ingredients. Both lauric acid and GML have been proven to have antiviral properties against different enveloped viruses.

Metabolism and immune modulation

From the mechanism of fat metabolism, MCFAs are shorter chains of carboxylic fatty acids than long chain fatty acids, and they can bypass the micelle formation process and be absorbed directly by the enterocytes and utilized as energy or transferred through portal vein to the liver. MCFAs require no binding protein while entering mitochondrial membrane and more readily undergo oxidation within the mitochondria.

MCFAs have been found to interact with immune or nonimmune cells via G protein coupled receptors (GPCR).

It has been shown that GPR40 is activated by MCFAs, with which lauric acid has a high affinity. GPR40 is highly expressed in monocytes, where it suggests that MCFAs have immune modulation effect. It has also been shown that MCFAs reduce viral replication by acting on MARC- 145 cells where it prevented the attachment of Porcine Respiratory and Reproductive Syndrome virus (PRRSv) or membrane fusion in the cytoplasm. Supplying triglycerides of MCFAs to rats conferred a protective effect on the intestine by increasing the IgA secretion and modulating the inflammatory immune response while challenged with endotoxin.

Field trial result

A field trial was conducted in a commercial sow farm in Germany, with 33 Danbred × Pietrain sows in the control group and 34 sows in the treatment group. A comparative trial was designed especially in the transition period in sows, which was one week before farrowing and the whole lactation period.

The control group was fed with a conventional lactation diet without any feed additive supplementation. The treatment group was fed with a conventional lactation diet with 1.5 kg/tonne feed of a proprietary MCFA (DaaFit G).

Litter weights during farrowing in the MCFA product’s group was numerically higher than the control group. Liveborn piglet weights was 1.8% higher than the control group. The average birth weight in the group with the MCFA product was 70 g more than the control group.

The number of weaned piglets in the MCFA product group was greater than the control group as well as the average weaning weight which was significantly different (p < 0.05), increased by 8.9% over the control group. And the average daily gain was also significantly different (p < 0.05), with 9.7% improvement over the control group. Even though the mortality had no statistical differences, the mortality in the MCFA group was numerically reduced (5.9% vs 7.5% in control group).

Healthier sows and larger piglets

It is hypothesized that the feed additive, lauric acid and GML can support the sows to overcome the critical transition period by different modes of action. Lauric acid and GML can either directly act on the pathogen load through feed or in animals, be utilized by the intestinal enterocytes in a short pathway for energy supply, or act through GPCR at different sites of monocytes for immune modulation.

Through improving the health status of the sows, a larger litter number is achieved, and the piglets have higher birthweights. Furthermore, throughout the lactation period, the vitality of the piglets also stimulates better milk production of sows and provides better availability of nutrients to the piglets that results in better performance during the weaning period.

ADM Launches New Sweetening Feed Solutions for Piglets

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November 21, 2022, Rolle, Switzerland – ADM (NYSE: ADM), a global leader in human and animal nutrition, today announced the launch of two products under its SUCRAM range, an in-feed sweetening solution for livestock species. Developed by ADM’s global feed additives business, Pancosma, SUCRAM M’I Sweet and SUCRAM Specifeek are sweeteners designed to improve the palatability of feed for young animals – particularly weanling pigs. Palatants and sweeteners are useful nutrition solutions to improve feed intake and enhance efficiencies for producers while also supporting animal health and well-being.

“Significant diversity exists between the sweet taste receptors among different species, impacting the perception of sweetness,” said Fabio Catunda, ADM Global Swine Commercial Director. “What is sweet for one species may not be perceived as sweet in another species due to these inter-species differences. This is critical to understand when developing effective sweetening products such as SUCRAM.”

An ongoing collaboration between ADM’s nutrition experts and molecular physiology and biochemistry scientists at the University of Liverpool is expanding industry knowledge of the function of sweet taste receptors in animals.

Learning opportunity: Learn more about the research findings in our Webinar:

NEW Species-specific approach to sweeteners for animal feed

December 8th 3pm-4pm CET

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These new additions to ADM’s SUCRAM range were specifically developed to activate the swine sweet taste receptors, with a focus on piglets at weaning. In-feed sweeteners have demonstrated to be an effective attractant to encourage feed intake at the weaning stage, as piglets make the transition from liquid to solid feed.

Both SUCRAM M’I Sweet and Specifeek are saccharin-free and, as part of the product development process, were tested in an in-vitro swine sweet taste receptor model. After years of research, these products also may have functional benefits in encouraging feed intake during a stressful period, optimizing nutrient absorption and supporting gut health and maturation to promote ongoing growth and performance in pigs.

SUCRAM products are available across the globe in more than 45 countries. Specifeek and M’I Sweet will initially be launched in Europe.

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References

  1. Sterk A, Schlegel P, Mul AJ, Ubbink-Blanksma M and EMAM. Bruininx, 2008. Effects of sweeteners on individual feed intake characteristics and performance in group-housed weanling pigs. Journal of Animal Science. 86:2990-2997.
  2. Shirazi-Beechey SP, Moran AW, Bravo D and M. Al-Rammahi, 2011. NONRUMINANT NUTRITION SYMPOSIUM: Intestinal glucose sensing and regulation of glucose absorption: Implications for swine nutrition. Journal of Animal Science. 89(6): 1854-1862.
  3. Furness, J.B. et al., 2013. The gut as a sensory organ. Nature Reviews. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 10(12):729.
  4. 2016, Connor et al, DAE : Glucagon-like peptide 2 and its beneficial effects on gut function and health in production animals
  5. Daly K, Moran AW, Al-Rammahi M, Weatherburn D, Shirazi-Beechey SP, 2021. Non-nutritive sweetener activation of the pig sweet taste receptor T1R2-T1R3 in vitro mirrors sweetener stimulation of the gut-expressed receptor in vivo. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 542: 54-58.

Feeding cows for adaptive capacity in the transition period

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The adaptive capacity of the cow determines transition success. When dairy cows fail to adapt physiologically to the demands of calving and the onset of milk production, the resulting metabolic stress leads to transition cow disorders with negative consequences for milk production, reproduction efficiency and longevity. The high prevalence of metabolic disorders and production disease around calving highlight the fact that many farm systems do not provide adequate solutions and are overstretching the adaptation capacity of their cows. Understanding the underlying mechanisms and factors exacerbating metabolic stress during transition can help to find nutritional solutions that enhance the adaptive capacity in transition dairy cows.

by Gwendolyn Jones, published in International Dairy Topics, 2020

Transition failures

The transition period is a demanding time for dairy cows and around 30% to 50% of dairy cows are affected by some form of metabolic or infectious disease, around the time of calving. This includes milk fever ketosis, retained placenta and mastitis. A declining availability of qualified dairy staff is likely to exacerbate this, as it means that cows are receiving less individual attention to identify and respond to health issues. When disorders occur, it is a demonstration that cows have difficulties in coping with external and internal conditions, endangering their own capacity to survive. It shows that the cows are failing to adapt to changes, stressors and gaps between nutrient supply and demand.

During the transition period dairy cows must adjust metabolically to a dramatic increase in energy and nutrient requirements needed for foetal growth and onset of milk production, exceeding the amount of energy the cow receives from dietary sources. This makes the cow susceptible to a negative energy balance. A negative energy balance initiates lipid mobilization, which again leads to high concentrations of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs). Metabolism of large amounts of NEFAs to ketone bodies induces an increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can eventually lead to oxidative stress in the liver of dairy cows.

Increased oxidative stress in dairy cows is recognized as an underlying factor of dysfunctional inflammatory responses and it has been linked to the occurrence of transition disorders. Oxidative stress in the liver is known to cause inflammatory damage of the liver, which impairs the metabolic function of liver cells and promotes the development of ketosis. In the mammary gland it has been associated with increased somatic cell counts in milk and the incidence of mastitis. Overall, these findings lead to the assumption that the underlying mechanisms that exacerbate metabolic stress and cause health disorders in transition dairy cows are combined effects of altered nutrient metabolism, oxidative stress and dysfunctional inflammatory responses.

Transition success

Successful adaptation avoids metabolic disorders in the transition period. Overall dairy cows are more likely to succeed in adaptation in the transition period when the gap between nutrient demands and supply is limited. However, there are also indications in the literature that even when cows had comparable energy balance, there is considerable individual variation of the adaptive ability of cows during early lactation based on metabolic and endocrine variables. Therefore, another approach is to find ways to support the cow in her ability to cope with nutritional and metabolic challenges, which would actually help the cow’s adaptability for transition success.

This amongst other things requires the identification of relevant markers that enable the measurement of achieving improved adaptability. One obvious marker for oxidative stress is the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, more recent research suggests that the oxidative stress index (OSi) predicts oxidative status more accurately. The OSi is the ratio between ROS and serum antioxidant capacity.  The researh shows that the OSi is significantly increased in dairy cows around calving, compared to levels at dry-off and at 30 days post calving. So one way of identifying improved adaptive capacity of cows in the transition period could be to measure the oxidative stress index in response to nutritional interventions.

Nutritional support for adaptive capacity

Researchers report that genetic selection for increased milk yield has decreased the adaptability of modern dairy cows. However, a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms for adaptability in dairy cows is helping the development of nutritional solutions to enhance the cow’s ability to cope more efficiently with nutritional and metabolic challenges.

For instance feeding plant extracts with high antioxidative powers can help to increase the level of antioxidative enzymes and antioxidants to support the cow’s own antioxidative defense in the liver. Feeding those type of components can give the liver a better chance of fighting ROS produced in the transition period and thus minimize the negative consequences from oxidative stress on liver function. A large part of the capacity of the adaptation of ruminants to dietary challenges is allowed by the rumen, so feed supplements designed to help maintain rumen efficiency are also going to ease the transition to lactation. However, attempts to reduce the prevalence of metabolic disorders and associated production diseases should rely on continuous and comprehensive monitoring with appropriate indicators on the farm level.

 

Webinar. Species-specific approach to animal feed sweeteners

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Watch the recording of the webinar to learn about the importance of inter-species diversity in sweet taste receptors, and innovation in the science of sweeteners in animal feed, with a focus on the application of sweeteners for weanling and fattening pigs.

NEW Species-specific approach to sweeteners for animal feed

Webinar hosted by WATT

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Learn about the latest research in this space from Professor Shirazi-Beechey, Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biochemistry at the University of Liverpool and hear about ADM’s activities to bring innovative and effective sweeteners to animal nutrition, including details about new, saccharin-free sweetener products soon to be available.

Speakers

Professor Soraya Shirazi-Beechey

Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biochemistry, University of Liverpool

Prof. Shirazi-Beechey has a long and prestigious international career: she received her undergraduate degree in biology and chemistry in the United States, obtained her PhD from London University, has worked at several Universities in the UK, and for the past 20 years has been at the University of Liverpool, where she is Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biochemistry. She has trained over 40 PhD students, 10 post-doctoral fellows and many masters students. Her research is based on the biology, microbiology and physiology of the gastrointestinal tract of both humans and other species, and the function of the gastrointestinal tract as a sensory organ. She has received numerous awards including an Associate Fellowship of the Royal College of Veterinary Scientists for her contributions to research and education, and the American Society of Animal Science President’s Award for notable contributions to animal research.

Sarah Cooper

Business Development Manager, ADM Animal Nutrition

Sarah graduated as veterinarian from the University of Sydney Australia in 1999. Worked in veterinary clinical practice until 2006, and then moved into the animal health industry with Pfizer Animal Health. She worked with Pfizer Animal Health and Zoetis in Australia and France until last year when she started with ADM as Product Manager and then Business Development Manager. Sarah also has a Masters in Veterinary Public Health Management from the University of Sydney, and a Global Executive MBA from INSEAD.

Catherine Ionescu

IP & Research Manager, ADM Animal Nutrition

Catherine graduated as Agriculture Engineer from Institut Superieur Agricole de Beauvais, France in 1999. Worked in Aventis Animal Nutrition until 2001 when she started to work for a subsidiary of Pancosma (Axiss France SAS) as research collaborator. From 2008 onwards, Catherine worked within Pancosma in Switzerland in the technical team as well as in research & development and was responsible for patent related issues. Currently she is part of ADM’s S&T team as IP & Research manager.

Mathilde Ramillien 

Portfolio Project Lead, ADM Animal Nutrition

Chemistry studies, graduated with a Master degree in Science and technologies of flavors’ industries from ISIPCA, France in 2014. She with Pancosma/ADM for the past 8 years, first as a flavorist for the creation and development of Palatants products, then as Product Manager for 2 years and later as Business Development Manager. Since September she continues to support the palatants team as Project Portfolio lead and is also responsible for the management of portfolio projects.

 

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