Polyphenols and organic acids as alternatives to antimicrobials in poultry rearing: a review.

For decades antibiotics have been used in poultry rearing to support high levels of production. Nevertheless, several problems have arisen because of the misuse of antibiotics (i.e., antibiotic resistance, residues in animal products, environmental pollution). Thus, the European Union (EU) as well as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) promote action plans to diminish the use of antibiotics in animal production. Alternatives to antibiotics have been studied. Polyphenols (PPs) or organic acids (OAs) seem to be two accredited solutions. Phenolic compounds, such as phenols, flavonoids, and tannins exert their antimicrobial effect with specific mechanisms. In contrast, short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs), the OAs mainly used as antibiotics alternative, act on the pathogens depending on the pKa value. This review aims to collect the literature reporting the effects of these substances applied as antimicrobial molecules or growth promoter in poultry feeding (both for broilers and laying hens). Organic acids and PPs can be used individually or in blends, exploiting the properties of each component. Collected data highlighted that further research needs to focus on OAs in laying hens’ feeding and also determine the right combination in blends with PPs

Le relazioni di natura finanziaria nell’evoluzione dei rapporti di fornitura

This paper aims at investigating the relevant financial aspects that can be observed along the supply-chain, in an evolutive and systemic perspective. The flow of financial resources (cash-flows) between customers and suppliers has been analysed to reveal those aspects affecting both the handling of the supply-relationship when it has been established and the criteria to assess and monitor potential suppliers. The paper presents the preliminary outcomes of the study of some Italian companies, highlighting the more relevant financial points that have to be faced in the praxis when a company want to improve or change its relationships with the customers or suppliers

Short- and medium-chain fatty acids and chestnut tannin extract blend as supplement in poultry feeding: effect on animal performances and gut microbiota communities

Intensive poultry rearing needs preventive strategies against diseases, several of which are little or not containable by vaccinations. Short- and medium-chain fatty acids (SMCFAs) and chestnut tannin (CHT), both by-products of two different industrial production chains, are very effective antimicrobials. The inclusion level of these additives in the diet is fundamental because a detrimental effect on the gut microbiome can occur if the dose is too high, compromising the animal welfare and performance. Hence, the aim of this trial was to test the effect of a blend (BL; 1:1, w/w) of SMCFAs (fatty acids from C4:0 to C9:0) and CHT extract (CTE) as feed additive in broiler feeding. One hundred one-day-old Ross 308 male chicks were randomly assigned to 5 dietary treatments (4 replicates; 20 pens; 5 animals per pen): control diet (CON), FAS diet (with 1.5 g/100g on dry matter (DM) of SMCFAs), CTE diet (with 1.5 g/100g on DM of CHT extract), BL1 diet (with 1.5 g/100g on DM of BL), and BL2 diet (with 3.0 g/100g on DM of BL). Among the parameters evaluated (weight gain; feed intake; feed efficiency; dressing out), the only differences were observed for the feed intake. In particular, the feed intake of CON (2.876 kg), FAS (2.773 kg), CTE (2.882 kg), and BL1 (2.858 kg) were comparable while the feed intake of BL2 (2.717 kg) was lower than the other diets except for FAS which was similar (p = 0.0010). The microbial community in the caecum was described by high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons and was similar between the treatments both in terms of alpha-diversity and beta-diversity. The results of this trial evidenced that no detrimental effect on growth performances or on gut microbiome occurred when birds were fed the blend of SMCFAs and CHT extracts at the inclusion levels tested in this study.HIGHLIGHTS Short- and medium-chain fatty acids and chestnut tannins are alternatives to conventional antimicrobials Natural antimicrobials improve the sustainability of poultry production Short- and medium-chain fatty acids and chestnut tannins did not alter the gut microbiota of broile

Linseed supplementation in the diet of fattening pigs: Effect on the fatty acid profile of different pork cuts

Linseed supplementation improves the fatty acid (FA) profile of meat, primarily by increasing α-linolenic acid (ALA). Pork is one of the most consumed meats, though the high level of saturated FA, therefore, a change of the FA profile is needed to improve the health properties. The aim of this work was to study the influence of extruded linseed supplementation on the FA profile in 5 different pork cuts, increasing their nutraceutical properties. Sixty pigs were divided into two groups, which were fed two different diets: control (C) and experimental (L, 8% supplementation with extruded flaxseed). Five cuts were sampled: backfat (Bf), bacon (B), Boston shoulder (Bs), ham lean part (Hl) and ham fatty part (Hf). The L diet reduced fat content in Hf (−6%) and B (−11%), while the other cuts did not show differences. Moreover, L group showed a higher level of n-3 PUFA (approx. 9-fold), with a significant reduction in the n-6/n-3 from 20 to 2.5. In cuts rich in fat (Bf, B and Hf) of L group, the level of n-3 PUFA was higher than the thresholds set by EU to obtain the claim “Source of omega-3 fatty acids”. In contrast, the lean cuts (Hl and Bs) did not exceed the threshold of n-3 PUFA required to obtain the claim, as consequence of the low level of fat. The results demonstrated that a diet with 8% extruded linseed enhanced the nutraceutical quality of pork meat

Rumen microbial community and milk quality in Holstein lactating cows fed olive oil pomace as part in a sustainable feeding strategy

The use of alternative feed ingredients from the Agro-industry could be an efficient tool to improve the sustainability of dairy cow production. Since the richness in polyphenols, olive oil pomace (OOP), produced during olive oil milling, seems a promising by-product to ameliorate milk’s nutritional value. The aim of this study was to test the use of OOP produced by means of a new technology (biphasic with stone deprivation) in dairy cow feeding strategy to evaluate the effect on animal performances, rumen microbiota, biohydrogenation processes and milk quality by a multidisciplinary approach. Forty multiparous Italian-Friesian dairy cows, at middle lactation, were randomly allotted into two homogenous groups and fed respectively a commercial diet (CON) and the experimental diet (OOPD) obtained by adding OOP to CON as partial replacement of maize silage. The two diets were formulated to be isoproteic and isoenergetic. The same diets were tested also in an in vitro trial aimed to evaluate their rumen degradability (% DEG). The dietary supplementation with OOP did not affect DM intake, rumen % DEG and milk production. The milk’s nutritional quality was improved by increasing several important functional fatty acids (FAs; i.e., linoleic acid, conjugated linoleic acid, oleic acid, vaccenic acid). This finding was related to a decrease in rumen liquor biohydrogenation rate of unsaturated FAs. The stochiometric relation between volatile FA production in the rumen and methanogenesis suggested that OOP lowers the methane potential production (CON = 0.050 mol/L vs OOPD = 0.024 mol/L, SEM = 0.005, P = 0.0011). Rumen microbiota and fungi community did not be strongly altered by OOP dietary inclusion because few bacteria were affected at the genus level only. Particularly, Acetobacter, Prevotellaceae_UCG-004, Prevotellaceae_UCG-001, Eubacterium coprostanoligenes, Lachnospira, Acetitomaulatum, Lachnospiraceae_NK3A20 group were more abundant with OOPD condition (P < 0.05). Data reported in this study confirm that the use of OOP in dairy cow feeding can be an interesting strategy to improve milk nutritional quality increasing functional FA content without compromising the rumen degradability of the diet or causing strong perturbation of rumen ecosystem and maintaining animal performances