Comparative effects of medium-chain fatty acids or phytobiotics-based feed additives on performance, caecum microbiota, volatile fatty acid production and intestinal morphology of broilers

Xylooligosaccharides from lignocellulosic biomass and their applications as nutraceuticals: a review on their production, purification, and characterization

Xylooligosaccharides (XOS) are considered a potent source of prebiotics for humans. The global prebiotic market is expanding in size, was valued at USD 6.05 billion in 2021, and is expected to grow at a 14.9% compound annual growth rate between 2022 and 2030, indicating a huge demand. These XOS are non-digestible pentose sugar oligomers comprising mainly xylose. Xylose is naturally present in the lignocellulosic biomass (LCB), fruits and vegetables. Apart from the prebiotic effect, these XOS have been reported to reduce blood cholesterol, possess antioxidant effects, increase calcium absorption, reduce colon cancer risk, and benefit diabetic patients. The primary use of XOS is reported in the feed industry followed by health, medical use, food and drinks. LCB mainly contains glucan, xylan and lignin. After glucan, xylan is the second-highest available sugar on the globe composed of xylose. Therefore, the xylan fraction of LCB has great significance in producing food, feed and energy. Glucan has been exploited for the commercial production of ethanol, xylitol, furfural, hydroxymethyl furfural and glucose. As of now, xylan has limited applications. Therefore, xylan can be exploited to convert to XOS. The production of XOS from LCB fraction not only helps to produce these at a very low price, but also helps in the reduction of greenhouse gases. Its use in food and drinks is increasing as it can be derived from the abundantly and cheaply available LCB. The article provides a review on the production, purification and characterization of XOS in view of their use as nutraceuticals. © 2024 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Comparative effects of dietary muramidase and phytogenics on the growth performance and gastrointestinal functionality of broiler chickens

The objective of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of dietary supplementation of muramidase (MUR) and 2 phytogenic additives on the growth performance, intestinal morphology, bacteria load, and production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) of broiler chickens raised under field-like conditions. A total of 6,400 day-old Ross 308 broiler chicks were randomly selected and distributed into 32 floor pens, with 200 chicks (100 males and 100 females)/pen. The treatment groups were an unsupplemented control, and the experimental groups supplemented with MUR at 35,000 LSU(F)/kg of feed, phytogenic 1 (Phyto 1, based on thymol) at 100g/ton feed, or phytogenic 2 (Phyto 2, based on alkaloids) at 60g/ton feed, for a total period of 41 d. A 4-phase feeding program was applied (starter, grower, finisher and withdrawal). The paramenters evaluated were: growth performance, carcass yield, concentration of muranic acid in the jejunum content and excreta, liver enzyme concentration, intestinal morphology, and bacteria enumeration and short and branch chain fatty acids (SCFA and BCFA) in the cecal content. Data were analyzed by ANOVA and Tukey's test was used to separate the means. Soluble muramic acid (MurN) in the jejunum increased with the supplementation of MUR and Phyto 2 when compared to the other groups (P = 0.0001), but only the supplementation of MUR increased the concentration of MurN in the excreta. The supplementation of all feed additives improved the body weight gain and the body weight corrected feed conversion ratio when compared to the control group (P = 0.0001). MUR increased villus heigh (VH) when compared to the control or the other supplemented groups (P = 0.0001), and led to the highest concentration of most SCFA, total BCFA, and total SCFA (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the supplementation of MUR and phytogenics to the diets of broiler chickens improved the growth performance, but MUR, only, was capable of effectively degrading peptidoglycans (PGNs) in both intestinal segments, as well as to increase the abundance of beneficial bacteria and SCFA production.