ISSUE FOCUS FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE October 2023 31 The main objective of animal husbandry is an efficient and sustainable conversion of feed into milk, eggs and meat for human consumption. Hence the role of the gut and its health status is crucial for an optimal production result. The gut is responsible for digestion and absorption of nutrients, but many challenges lurk around the corner that lower the genetically driven conversion of feed into animal protein. INTESTINAL HEALTH AS DRIVER FOR AN EFFICIENT ANIMAL PRODUCTION SYSTEM Arno Duchateau Global Product Manager Impextraco The gut of farm animals from stomach to hindgut is an engine designed for processing compound feed and transferring it into the building blocks of animal proteins and essential metabolites. Being a connection with the outside world including the environment and the farm, the intestine is in close contact with many challenges that come together with the feed or just after oral intake. Hence its function requires facilitation by the king’s guard, a.k.a. the immune system, and a friendly guest, a.k.a. the gut microbiome. The immune system’s primal role is to fight and conquer pathogenic micro-organisms that try to invade through the epithelium and cause diseases. The immune system should be sharp and swift, but cost-efficient as it competes directly with the conversion of feed into animal protein. Similarly, the gut microbiome consumes nutrients like protein and carbohydrates, but returns favorable metabolites that upregulate the gut functioning and lowers the pathogenic pressure. YOUNG ANIMALS The rate at which animals are raised puts a lot of pressure on their intestinal development. Many animals start with an empty gut and only receive some maternal immunity. For example, broilers have at hatch no functional adaptive immune response but receive some maternal immunoglobulins via the egg yolk and have developed their immune organs during the embryonic phase. Moreover, the gut microbiome is only limited to a number of bacteria in the early days and consequently very dynamic and sensitive for pathogenic colonization. Therefore, the aim is to reach a stable and diverse microflora as soon as possible. Furthermore, in the first days digestion and absorption of nutrients is limited. Digestive enzyme production is not at full capacity yet, just like HCl production in the stomach of the animal. Simultaneously, the intestinal epithelium is not fully developed resulting in short villi. In conclusion, the first challenge for an animal is to reach stable intestinal health, which is a balance between immunity, its gut microbiome and digestion and absorption of the diet. Establishing this equilibrium is already a challenge and we are not even talking about other threats like mycotoxins or environmental stress.
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