Feed additives

Feed additives are non-nutritive products used in swine diets to improve production
efficiency and performance.

These feed additives include enzymes, organic acids, probiotics, antibiotics,

oligosaccharides, modifiers of rumen fermentation (e.g monensin and fibrozyme).

Feed-additive products for swine

Acidifiers - High dietary levels of copper and zinc for growing pigs

Anthelmintics (dewormers) - Mold inhibitors, mycotoxin binders, and antioxidants

Antibiotics - Phytase

Carbohydrate-degrading enzymes and proteases - Phytogenic feed additives

(phytobiotics-botanicals)

Carcass modifiers - Probiotics and prebiotics

Flavors

Enzyme technology

Exogenous enzymes are now well accepted as a class of feed additives in diet
formulations for poultry and pigs to overcome the negative effects of anti-nutritional
factors, and to improve digestion of dietary components and animal performance. An
overview of the current status of feed enzyme technology, including the different type of
enzymes and modes of action, is provided.

Feed enzymes (protease, xylanase, phytase, amylase) fast growing segment of animal
nutrition market.

Phytase catalyses the release of phosphate from phytate which is the main form in
which phosphorus occurs in cereal grains, legumes and oilseeds.

Necessitated also by the need to reduce environmental pollution through high-

phosphate manure.

Latest in enzyme technology boosts performance of pigs and poultry fed DDGS
Pig and poultry producers looking for lower feed costs with distillers dried grains with
solubles (DDGS) can use the latest developments in enzyme technology
As feed costs continue to escalate, by-products from the food and fuel ethanol
industries can provide alternative, more cost- effective ingredient options for the
nutritionist.

The use of DDGS in animal feed has increased with the growth of the bioethanol
industry.

Whilst DDGS is potentially a cost effective and valuable feed ingredient, there are
certain anti-nutritional factors which can limit its use in pig and poultry feed.

Latest developments in enzyme technology can improve the nutrient digestibility of pig
and poultry diets containing DDGS.

A trial conducted by Auburn University, USA, showed that adding both a new-
generation bacterial phytase (Phyzyme® XP) together with xylanase, amylase and
protease enzymes (Avizyme® 1502) to corn-soy based broiler diets containing 10%
corn DDGS improved bodyweight gain by 5-12% and feed efficiency by 3-5% (Dr
Alexandre Péron, 2008).

Similarly in pigs, a trial showed that adding both the new-generation phytase
(Phyzyme® XP) together with a highly effective xylanase (Porzyme® 9300) to a corn-
soy based diet containing 20% corn DDGS significantly improved digestible energy by
5.6% (175 kcal/kg, 0.73 MJ/kg), ileal amino acid digestibility by 4-8% and increased
phosphorus digestibility from 22% to 51%.

Fibrozyme – has been widely used in highly fibrous diets for ruminants to increase
digestibility of the fibre material

Organic acids (Acidfiers)

Especially the ban of antibiotics within the EU has moved acidifiers in the centre of
attention, as they are the next most adequate alternative to the use of antibiotics.

Attempt question

Describe the principles behind the use of acidifiers as feed additives to reduce
pathogenic bacteria.
Beneficial claims from dietary inclusions of acidifiers include control of bacterial growth
in feed, increased growth performance, improvement in nutrient digestibility, and control
of harmful bacteria in the gut.

Acidifiers are compounds that have acidic properties: they may be organic or inorganic
acids. Organic acids that have shown positive effects on growth performance in weaned
pigs include citric, formic, fumaric, and propionic acids. In studies involving inorganic
acids,1-3 positive growth responses have been reported with the use of phosphoric
acid.

Thus, phosphoric acid is the most commonly utilized inorganic acid in swine diets.

The most popular single acids used are formic and propionic acid.

Other most commonly used organic acids are citric and lactic as well as sorbic, malic,
acetic and fumaric acid, while benzoic, butyric, tartaric and sorbic acid are not
commonly used.

Effects which can be seen when using organic acids highly depend on which organic
acid is used and at which inclusion level the acids are used.

Furthermore, for preserving purposes, inclusion levels of organic acids are in general
lower than for performance promotion.

Inorganic acids are usually less costly than organic acids. Organic and inorganic acid
combinations are often used in commercially available acidifiers. The response to mixed
acids is generally better than to single acids,

Organic acids can be combined with salts of organic acids. Most commonly used are
ammonium formate and ammonium and calcium propionate, salts of formic and
propionic acids

The reduction of the pH is playing a key role in the usage of acidifying products.

The proportion of dissociated acids increases with increasing pH. Only non-dissociated

acids are able to penetrate the bacteria cell wall by traversing the membrane and
disrupt the processes of certain types of bacteria, resulting in the inhibition of their
growth or even cellular death.

This means that, if pH does not decrease to the same extent as it does by using organic
acids instead of their salts bacterial growth is not inhibited to the same extent as it
would be by using organic acids.

Combining essential oils and organic acids becomes more and more popular due to the
improvement of the anti-microbial effect of these agents. 
Synergistic effects were found due to combining organic acids and essential oils
resulting in improved feed conversion and improved average daily gain in poultry as well
as pigs.

Combining organic acids and essential oils provide protection against harmful bacteria
within the whole intestinal tract.

Acids still remain active in feed, lowering its pH and therefore keeping the uptake of
harmful bacteria low.

http://www.biomin.net/en/knowledge-center/articles/articles-details/article/organic-acid-
based-products-a-market-evaluation-and-technical-comment/

Factors affecting response to acidifiers

Age: Newly weaned pigs showing the greatest response

Diet composition: It appears that greater responses are seen when simple diets are fed
rather than complex diets containing milk products

Disadvantages of acidifiers

Corrosiveness - may pose handling and equipment issues to the feed manufacturer.

Salts of organic acids are generally odourless and less corrosive than their acid forms,
making them easier to handle in the feed manufacturing process.

Acidifi ers may negatively affect diet palatability when added at excessive levels,
resulting in lower feed intake.

There may also be legal restrictions with the use of some acids. For example, pure
formic acid is not legal for use in the United States, but salts of formic acid are available
for use in feeds

Summary (Benefits of acidifiers)

Acidifiers are believed to enhance growth by improving gut health through reduction of
pH and buffering capacity of diets, improvement of pancreatic secretions that increase
nutrient digestibility, or promotion of beneficial bacterial growth while inhibiting growth of
pathogenic microbes. There is limited data indicating that acidifiers can act
synergistically with phytase to improve phosphorus and magnesium digestibility

ANTIBIOTICS
Antimicrobial agents - leading in significant improvements in pig growth performance
when antibiotics were fed.

Use of antibiotics as feed additives is subject to regulatory policies to prevent residues

and enhance public health.

How do antibiotics enhance growth?

Antibiotics are included in livestock feed for their therapeutic potential as well as their
ability to promote growth.

Some of the proposed possible mechanisms by which antibiotics improve growth

include inhibition of subclinical pathogenic bacterial infections; reduction of microbial
metabolism products that may negatively affect pig growth; inhibition of microbial
growth, thereby increasing nutrients available to the pig; and an increase in uptake and
utilization of nutrients through the intestinal wall.

Efficacy depends on the herd health status.

Choosing the proper antibiotic

Consider:

 the disease organisms present in the herd.

 Stage of production and withdrawal period also will determine the specifi c
antibiotic of choice -

 avoid residues in the meat.

 The product also must be approved for use – regulations in feed industry.
Examples of accepted drugs include Florfenicol, tilmicosin, neomycin,
oxytetracycline and coccidiostat.

Source: Jacela et al. 2009. http://www.aasv.org/shap/issues/v17n5/v17n5p270.pdf

Homework

Read and write personal notes on oligosaccharides, probiotics and modifiers of rumen
fermentation as feed additives.