SPECIAL STORY 52 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE February 2021 effect of some bacteria on fat digestion. This can be explained by the difference in the concentration of conjugated bile salts. THE NEED FOR A NUTRITIONAL EMULSIFIER Fat digestion is influenced by many factors (e.g. fat source, age). Less attention is given to the effect of the microflora. Considering the literature work stated above it should be an important factor to take into account. Orffa engineered a nutritional emulsifier to reach maximal potential in the intestinal environment and improve digestion. The most important parameter to choose the optimal emulsifier for every specific application is HLB (hydrophilic-lipophilic balance). An emulsifier with a low HLB is more fat soluble (lipophilic) and an emulsifier with a high HLB is more water soluble (hydrophilic). Due to the fact that an animal consumes almost twice as much water as feed, the intestine is a very watery environment. The goal of a nutritional emulsifier is to optimize the emulsification and micelle formation in the intestine and therefore an emulsifier with a high HLB (hydrophilic) is most efficient. In recent years, several faecal metabolic studies with broilers have been performed by Orffa to examine the effects of the nu¬tritional emulsifier, Excential Energy Plus. The results show that the nutritional emulsifier is able to increase energy (+76 kcal AMEn/kg), crude fat (+2.81%), dry matter (+1.41%) and crude protein (+1.68%) digestibility on average to a high extent versus the control treatment. The increase in digestibility seems to depend on the crude fat percentage in the diet. CONCLUSION A disbalanced microflora has an important negative effect on digestibility. To counteract this, the activity of a nutritional emulsifier should be considered. Orffa’s nutritional emulsifier has the proven ability to increase nutrient digestion, which is important in a healthy broiler, but crucial in a pathogen challenged bird.
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