Feed & Additive Magazine Issue 3 April 2021

ISSUE FOCUS FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE April 2021 43 ber fractions safeguard intestinal health leading to an optimal performance. AGGLUTINATION OF PATHOGENS The fiber molecules are extracted from natural sources and are selected on their specific ability to bind pathogens. While being soluble they possess the ability of being very well dispersed inside the gastro-intestinal tract, increasing the contact-op- portunity with possible pathogenic bacteria. When coming in contact with bacteria like E. coli or Sal- monella, Vitafibra will bind to the fimbriae and cloth them together as can be seen in below micro- scopic picture. (Figure 1) The soluble fiber fraction inside Vitafibra is inert, meaning that instead of being absorbed they will be excreted by the animal together with the clotted patho- gens via the faeces. Agglutinated pathogens will be dis- abled and will pass the intestine as peaceful visitors. REDUCE ENDOTOXEMIC INFLAMMATION Besides binding pathogens, Vitafibra blocks in- flammatory metabolites derived from bacteria like endotoxins. By binding on cellular TLR-receptors a cascade of mechanisms is activated resulting in the production of cytokines (IL-1, IL-6, TNF). These cytokines cause a local inflammation in the intestine which at the end will lead to energy losses and even sometimes diarrhea. The specific fiber fractions in Vitafibra are able to shield these TLR-receptors, blocking this intracellular cascade. This has been demonstrated at the University of Groningen. The use of a genetically modified cell line allowed to translate inflammation into color intensity. Whereas treating the cells with endotoxins results in a signif- icant increase of the color intensity compared to a negative control (Figure 2), the presence of Vitafibra however blocked the colorification of the medium meaning that no inflammation was induced. CONCLUSION Next to dietary and prebiotic fibers, it is now also possible to use functional fiber fractions with a di- rect impact on pathogens like E. coli., Salmonel- la and their metabolites. Vitafibra makes this new generation of fibers available for the industry and has already proved its efficacy across Europe, North America and Asia. Figure 1: Agglutination of E.coli F4 by Vitafibra 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 1,7 14,9 2 color intensit y Blocking of endotoxin receptors LPS +Vitafibra neg controle LPS About Kobe Lannoo DVM Kobe Lannoo was born in 1978 in Belgium. Having a big interest in the farm industry he started his studies to become a veterinarian at UGENT. In 2002 he graduated cum laude as Veterinary practitioner with a specialization in swine at the University of Ghent. After 12 years of field experiences as veterinarian practitioner, he joined the Royal Agrifirm Group in 2014. During that time he has been responsible for the global product management team and the EMEA marketing team. Now he is global Category Manager Pigs for Agrimprove, the functional feed ingredients brand. In this role he translates the innovative research projects of the R&D team into marketable concepts for the global animal feed industry.