ISSUE FOCUS FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE September 2024 29 native to vitamin C as they are water soluble antioxidants. Therefore, Grape polyphenols should rather be viewed as complementary to vitamin E and not as a replacement for vitamin E. This is because only fat-soluble antioxidants can prevent lipid oxidation. Taking the digestive physiology of monogastric animals and ruminants into account, Trouw Nutrition developed species-specific synergistic blends of polyphenols that contain a high ratio of fat-soluble antioxidants for its Selko AOmix portfolio. Plant raw materials were chosen for ruminants because they contain rumen-bypass polyphenols which either retain their antioxidant properties after having passed through the rumen or polyphenols, which are fermented in the rumen into powerful, post-rumen available antioxidants. For monogastric species, on the other hand, plants were selected rich in polyphenols that are readily absorbed and exert their antioxidant properties without the need to be hydrolysed by (bacterial) fermentation. The produced compounds can replace and/or supplement the antioxidant protection that most animals currently obtain from vitamin E, avoiding the declining returns of larger dosages of vitamin E while simultaneously complementing the antioxidant protection from vitamin E in a cost-effective way. The efficacy of Selko AOmix has been confirmed through various in vivo studies. For example, a study in which lambs were fed a diet high in unprotected linseed oil found that polyphenol blends delayed and reduced fat peroxidation. In trials with hens and pigs, animals fed polyphenol blends that suffered heat stress showed no increase in oxidative stress, which is consistent with a high dose of vitamin E. Field experience has shown that Selko AOmix can safely and effectively replace a portion of the vitamin E need (Figure 4). In conclusion, carefully selected polyphenols that consider differences in digestive physiology, radical affinity, and tissue distribution, can meet an animal's antioxidant demands, which are currently provided by vitamin E as well as additional polyphenols that further support the antioxidant capacity beyond the lipid environment. This strategic swap offers a multifaceted strategy that supports protection against free radicals and helps safeguard animal health and performance. 8.8 8.6 8.4 8.2 8.0 7.8 7.6 7.4 7.2 7.0 MDA in Plasma (umol/L) 11 ppm E 80 ppm E 11E + AO-mix No Heat Stress Heat Stress MDA = Malondialdehyde Figure 4. Selko AOmix in combination with vitamin E reduces MDA-levels (marker for oxidative stress) in piglets under heat stress conditions. Nutreco R&D in cooperation with the University of Gent, 2012. About Marlien de Kock Marlien de Kock is the Global Technical Commercial Manager for Phytogenics for the Europe, Middle East, and Africa Region at Selko, the feed additive brand of Trouw Nutrition. She holds a BSc (Agric) Hons. degree from the University of Pretoria and an MSc (Agric) from the University of Stellenbosch. During the first 25 years of her career, she worked in the animal pharmaceutical industry at various global companies. Marlien de Kock has extensive experience in residue control and reduction of carryover of pharmaceuticals, especially antibiotics, in food for human consumption. In September 2021, she joined Trouw Nutrition South Africa as a Product Manager: Feed Additives, and in April 2023, she moved to Selko to take on her current role.
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